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Australian Journal of Adult Learning Volume 52, Number 2, July 2012
Exploring relationships in education: A phenomenological inquiry
David GilesFlinders University
Elizabeth Smythe & Debra SpenceAuckland University of Technology
Research that seeks to understand the lived experience of the teacher-student relationship is not prevalent. This article reports on a phenomenological inquiry which explored the nature of this relationship in the context of teacher education. Participant’s lived experiences were hermeneutically interpreted against the philosophical writings of Heidegger and Gadamer. In this way, the research focused on the teacher-student relationship as it is ‘experienced’ by lecturers and student teachers in pre-service teacher education programs, rather than how it might be ‘theorised’. The research found that relationships are essential and matter to the educational experience whether this is recognised or not. Similarly, a teacher’s comportment was found to have a communicative aspect that is felt and sensed. Further, relationships are experienced as
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a play that is lived beyond the rules of engagement. Consistent with critical approaches to education, this research calls for the re-educating of educators towards essential understandings of relationship and the relational sensibilities that are integral to being in relationship.
Introduction
Relationshipsareattheheartofeducationalencounters.Whenateacherstandsinfrontofstudents,theyrelate.Whenastudentmeetswithateacher,theyrelate.Rememberingteacher-studentexperiencesbringsbackmemoriesoffeelinginspired,boredorperhapsover-looked.Curricula,lessonplansandlearningoutcomesarelongforgotten,buttheimpactofrelationshipsliveson.
Howtheteacher-studentrelationshipisconceptualisedvariesconsiderably.Forsome,theessentialaspectofthisrelationshipiswhathappensbetweentheteacherandstudent,asiftherelationshipcomprisesaninterpersonalspaceacrosswhichtheteacherandstudenttraverse(HartrickDoane2002;Metcalfe&Game2006).Whatliesbetweenthoserelatingisvariouslydescribedasaspace,agap,oranopening,whichallowsroomforrelationalhappenings.Inter-actionsoccurastrans-actionsexchangedfromonepersontotheother.Buber(1996,2002)describesrelationshipsthataccentuatedifferencesbetweenthoserelatingas“I-it”relationships.Theserelationshipstendtoobjectifytheparticipants,therelationship,andthetransactionalnatureoftherelationship.Palmer’s(1999)concernisthatrelationshipsthatarereducedtosuchanobjectifiedformofrelatingprivilegetechniqueandefficiencyoverrelationship.
Forothers,relationshipspeaksaboutaconnectednessthatexists,aconnectivitythatisbasictoourhumanity(Bennett1997).Relationalconnectednessemphasisesholisticrelationshipratherthanthespace
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betweenthoserelating.Thisviewofrelationshipshiftstheattentionfromthefunctionalityofthespacebetweenpeopletoaninherentconnectednessthatisintegraltorelationship(Hooks2003;Gibbs2006).Educationalprocessesthatvaluerelationalconnectednessseektonurturethewholenessofstudentsthroughagenuineconcernfortheteacher-studentrelationship(Miller&Nakagawa2002).
Re-framingrelationshipswithinthecontextofacommunitydrawsattentiontotheinter-connectednessofthemanysharedrelationshipsthatco-existineverydayexperiences(Palmer1997).Themanyrelationshipswithinaparticularcontextresemblea‘webofcommunalrelationships’(Palmer1998:95).
Whilethereisvalueintheorisingfromempiricaldataaboutrelationship,itisequallyimportantthateducationalresearchconsiderthe‘livedexperiences’ofrelationshipsineducationasthisdrawsustowardsessentialunderstandingsoftherelationship.
Research foundations
ThisresearchinquirywasunderpinnedbythephilosophicalwritingsofHeideggerandGadamer(Giles2008).Theirworkswerevitaltoanongoingunderstandingoftheontologicalnatureofphenomenologyanditsquestforexploringtheapriorinatureofeverydayexperiencesinthelifeworld(Caelli2001;Koch1996).Theaimofphenomenologicalresearchistoestablisharenewedcontactwithoriginalexperience,priortotheorisingaboutit,andtobringto‘lightthemeaningswovenintothefabric’(Raingruber2003:1155)oftheexperience.‘Thelifeworld,theworldoflivedexperience,isboththesourceandobjectofphenomenologicalresearch…[indeed]thestartingpointandendpoint’(vanManen1990:36,53).
Thereweretwocentralunderstandingsofthisresearch.Firstly,itisphenomenological,inthesensethattheinquiryexploresaparticularphenomenon,theteacher-studentrelationship;secondly,
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theinquiryishermeneutic,inthesensethattheinquiryseekstolayopenpriorandvariableunderstandingsofthings,disclosingessentialmeaningsofthephenomenaintheprocess(Annells1996).Hermeneuticphenomenologicalresearchisathinkingandwritingactivity.‘Researchandwritingareaspectsofoneprocess’(vanManen1990:7).Uponhearingtherecountoflivedexperiences,theresearcherwritesandre-writesfromthestoriesuntiltheyconsidertheirinterpretationcapturesthenatureoftheexperience.Theimportanceofphenomenologicalwritingcannotbeunderstatedasphenomenologicalresearchisthe‘bringingtospeechofsomething’(vanManen1990:32).Inmostresearchapproaches,researcherswriteuphis/herunderstandings.Inphenomenologicalresearch,theresearcherwritestounderstand.Intheexperienceofwriting,theresearchercontemplativelyarticulatesessentialunderstandingsandmeanings,lettingmeaningscomethattheyhavenotseenbefore.
Theprocessofbeing-inhermeneuticphenomenologyislikeajourneyofthinkingthatweavesthroughthereading-writing-contemplationoftheinquiry(Smythe,Ironside,Sims,Swenson,&Spence2008).Theresearchisexperiencedasa‘felt’anduncertainjourneywherenewpossibilitiesarise,akindofbeing-in-the-playofresearching.Theprocessofhermeneuticalreflectioninvolvesatoandfrocirclingmovementtowards‘ontologicallypositivesignificance’(Gadamer1994:226),thatis,theessentialmeaningsofthephenomenonbeingresearched.
Research method
Phenomenologicalresearchbringstogetherphilosophicalfoundationsandmethodologicalconsiderationsinanongoingdialogue.Thepathsormethods,suggestsvanManen(1990:29),‘cannotbedeterminedbyfixedsignposts.Theyneedtobediscoveredorinventedasaresponsetothequestionathand’.Inthisway,thephenomenologicalmethodisnotunderstoodasasetofinvestigativeproceduresbutratheras
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methodsthatarecontingentuponthephenomenoninquestion;informedbyphilosophicalliterature,theinsightsofpreviousphenomenologicalresearchers,andlivedthroughexperiencesasresearcher(Ironside2005).Insummary,thephenomenologicalmethodologyisaturningtowardsaphenomenonratherthanapreoccupationwithresearchtechniques(Gadamer1994).
Participants
Theparticipantsinthisstudywerestudentteachersandlecturersfromfivedifferentpre-serviceteachereducationproviderswithinNewZealandwhowereengagedinpre-serviceteachereducationasastudentteacherorasalecturer.Seventeenparticipantsagreedtotakepartinthisstudy.TheyrepresentasampleoflecturersandstudentteachersinteachereducationprogramsinNewZealand.Nineoftheparticipantswerelecturersandeightwerestudentteachers.ThreeparticipantsidentifiedthemselvesasMaori,oneidentifiedasPasifika,oneasMalaysian;alltheremainingparticipantsidentifiedthemselvesasPakeha.PākehāisaMāoritermforNewZealandersofpredominantlyEuropeanheritage.Fourteenoftheseventeenparticipantswerefemale.Theparticipantswereagedbetween20and60years.
Data collection
ThefirststoriesthatweregatheredinthisresearchinquirywereDavid’s.Thestoriesbecameatextforanexplorationofhisprejudicesandpre-assumptionsinrelationtothephenomenon.Wewereawarethattheproblemofphenomenologicalinquiry‘isnotalwaysthatweknowtoolittleaboutthephenomenonwewishtoinvestigate,butthatweknowtoomuch’(vanManen1990:46).Aninterviewwasrecorded,transcribedandinterpretedasawayofmakingmoreexplicithow David wastowardsthephenomenonattheinitialstagesofthisresearch.vanManensuggeststhatraisingawarenessofone’sownexperienceofaphenomenoncanprovide‘cluesfororienting
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oneselftothephenomenonandthustoalltheotherstagesofphenomenologicalresearch’(1990:57).
Aphenomenologicalinterviewprocessgatheredthickdescriptionsoftheparticipant’severydayexperiencesoftheteacher-studentrelationship.OnceeachtranscriptwascompletedDavidfollowedaprocesssimilartothatdescribedbyCaelli(2001).Hebeganbyreadingthetypedtranscriptalongsidehandwrittennotesandhighlightedwords.Usingtheparticipant’swords,hethenreconstructedorcraftedstoriesinachronologicaland/orlogicalorder.Thewordsandmeaningsthatdescribedtheexperiencewerekept,whileadditionalandsuperfluouswordsweredeleted.Eachparticipantwassenttheirsetofstoriesfortheirverification,clarification,additionor,ifpreferred,deletion.
Havingcraftedonehundredandnineteenstoriesandcompletedadescriptionandseveralinterpretationsforeverystory,webelievedwehadsufficientdata.Weweresatisfiedthatnewstorieswerelargelyre-tellinganessentialmeaningthathadbeenpreviouslyexpressedinaninterpretation.Atthispoint,thegatheringofstorieswassuspendedsothatDavidcouldmovetoadeeperinterpretativeappreciationofthestoriesinrelationtothephenomenonunderinquiry.
Thestoriesandtheirinterpretationsbecamethebasisofdialoguewithothers.Duringthistime,thequalityoftheinterpretivewritingwasdiscussed,interpretationswerechallenged,andprejudicesbecameamatterofdebate.Havingreachedthisstage,Davidbeganengagingextensivelywiththephilosophicliterature,focusingparticularlyonthewritingsofHeideggerandGadamer.Davidcarriedintohisreadingofthisliterature,theinterpretivewritingthathadbeencompletedonthestories.Inthisway,conductingasearchforontologicalunderstandingsthatcouldfurtherilluminatetheanalysiswasinitiated.Thepurposewastofindphenomenologicalthemesinawholesenseratherthanthemesrelatingtoeachparticipant;themes
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thatvanManendescribesashaving‘phenomenologicalpower’.vanManen(1990:107)notesthatthe‘essentialqualityofatheme…[isthatwe]…discoveraspectsorqualitiesthatmakeaphenomenonwhatitisandwithoutwhichthephenomenoncouldnotbewhatitis’.
Trustworthiness
Researchendeavoursneedtobetrustworthyandhaverigour;standardsthathavebeensetbythephilosophersofthisresearchapproach.Smytheetal.(2008)suggestthatthetrustworthinessofastudyisknownfirstbyresearchersthemselves,whotestouttheirthinkingbyengagingineverydayconversationswiththosewhoarelivingthephenomenon.Thetrustworthinessofthisresearchprojectcanbeseeninthetransparentmannerinwhichtheinterpretivewritingwaslaidopenforconsiderationonaregularbasiswithscholars,researchers,researchseminarsandconferencepresentations.Onnumerousoccasions,theresonanceofothersduringadialogueprovidedahallmarkoftrustworthiness.
Findings
Thefindingsofthisresearcharepresentedunderthreethemes.Thefirstdescribeshowteachersandstudentsarealwaysinrelationship,thesecondexploresthenatureofcomportmentandthethirdrevealstheplayofrelating.Whiletheyarepresentedasseparatethemes,theyareneverthelessallpartofthedynamic,inter-relatedwhole.
Always in relationship
Whentherelationshipmatters,teachersandstudentsrelationalexperiencesareengaged,connectedandrespectfuloftheother.Thisaspectofthephenomenonrevealsthat,whilevariouslyexperienced,therelationshipmatters.Ateacherwhoserelationshipswithstudentsmatterrecallsthefollowingstory.Thestorydescribestwoverydifferentexperiencesbetweentheteacherandstudentsacrossconsecutiveclasses:
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Aboutthreeweeksagoonthesecondlastdaybeforethesemesterbreak,outoftheblueonestudentsaid,‘Wereallyenjoyyourclasses’.ItwasfunnythatonthatdayIwasteachingbeyondthefinishtimeof4pmbutitdidn’tfeellikeit.
ThenextdayIhadthesameclassonthelastdayofterm.Ihadalottoteach.Iwasfeelingpressurised.Theydidnotseeminterested.Isaid,‘Nowlookhere,I’vegotthingsI’vegottofinish’.Theywereabituptight.Afterawhile,Idrewthemintoadiscussion.Icarriedonandtaughtto4pm.Inspiteofthis,theystillsaid,haveagoodbreak.WhenIlefttheclass,Ilookedaroundthecampusandtherewasnoonearound.IshouldhavejustsaidIknowtherearetimeswhenIcantrustyoutogohomeandlookthroughthesereadings.Ishouldhavejustacceptedthatthiswasthelastday,accommodatethat,andsay,Itrustyou.Iwasverytroubledandwentandsharedthiswithacolleague.Iwenthomeandwentoutfordinner.ThroughoutthewholedinnerIwasthinkingaboutthisclass.Itspoiledmyholiday.
Inthisstorytherelationshipmatterstoeveryone.Thestudentsshowtheircarethroughtheirinformalcommentstotheteacheraboutthecourseandintheirfarewellspriortovacation(Rayle2006).Thisteachermatteredtothestudentsbefore,duringandbeyondtheclassroomexperiences.
Theteacherrevealsadifferentkindofmattering.Theteacherrecallsfeelingpressuredbytimeandthetaskstocompleteinthelesson.Concernedbythemovementandpaceofthelesson,theteacherworkstokeepthestudentson-task.Theteacherissofocusedonensuringthestudentsreceivethecontenttheyneed,thatsheoverlookstheirmorehumanneeds,togetawayforaholiday.Whatmatteredinitiallythenforthisteacherwasdifferenttowhatmatteredforthestudents.Astheteacherreflectsonthelesson,sheisconcernedthatsheprioritisedthecompletionofthetaskswhensheshouldhaverecognisedtheimplicationsofthevacation.Onthisoccasion,theteachersensesaconflictaboutwhatmattersmost.
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Asthestudentsdeparted,theyremindtheteacheroftheirrelationshipandhowtheteachermatteredintherelationship(Frymier&Houser2000).Similarly,astheteachernoticestheabsenceofotherpeopleoncampus,theteacherisremindedagainof‘hermattering’oftherelationship.Theteacher’sconcernforthestudentscontinuestomatterastheeventsofthelessonaresharedwithacolleagueandthencarriedintoaneveningmeal,aholiday,andbeyond.Thustherelationalexperienceofbeing-withthesestudentsisnotoverfortheteacher.Itaffectstheteacher’sprofessionalandpersonallife.Lessonsdonotendwiththeclocktimes.Theyliveonintheteacher’sandstudent’shistoricityasendlessandopentofurtherunderstanding.
Therearealsooccasionswhentheteacher-studentrelationshipdoesnotappeartomatter.Inthesesituations,thereseemstobealackofcareandanattempttosubordinatetheother.Theteacherinthenextstoryappearstobesuchateacher:
Mymathsteacherwasveryabruptandthoughtthathiswaywasright—theonlyway.Hecameinandsaid,thisiswhatyouhavegottobeabletodo.Ifyoucan’tdothis,thenyouaregoingtofail.Thisishowyoudoit.Arrrrggghhhh!
Hegotworse.HeactuallyyelledatsomepeopleandIwasthinking,amIbackinschool?Hewouldtotallyhumiliatepeople.Acoupleofpeoplechallengedhimbecausehewassorude.Hewouldneverbackdownorapologise.Hewouldjustgetreallyblownupaboutit.Itwasdisgusting.Itwaslikeschool.Hewasyellingatus.AndIthought,hello,we’readults.Istilldon’tknowwhyhewasyellingatus.
Itwashorrible.Iwasthinking,howcanthisguybeinthisinstitution?Who’slethimin?Hewasn’tthereforusinanyway.Hedidn’tcareaboutusatall.Someclasseswehadwereinthemorning,whatabadwaytostarttheday.Actuallyacoupleoftimes,weshowedupandhedidn’t.
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Thestudentinthisstoryexperiencesateacherwhoappearstocarelittleabouttheirrelationship.Thestudentquestionstheteacher’swayofrelating.Whymustthisteacherbethisway?Whymusttheexperienceofrelatingwiththisteacherbesodifficult?Theabsenceofcareisnoticeable.
Thisteacheriswiththestudentbutnotforthestudent;present intheteacher-studentspacebutnottowardsthestudent.Theteacher’swayofrelatingwaslessofabeing-to-beingrelatingandmoreofanobjectifiedI-itrelating(Buber1996).Thistypeofrelationshipcanbeseeninthewaytheteacherdoesnotwelcomeanyappearanceofthestudentasaperson,asanindividual.
Hultgrensuggests‘theresponse-abilitythatwehaveas…educatorsistocreatesuchaspace…sothat…studentsrealizethepoweroftheirowninsightsandthebeautyoftheirownvoices’(1992:237).Thesestudentsseemedtohavelittleornoabilitytodefendthemselvesand,intheabsenceofameaningfulandreciprocalrelationship,thisstudentloseshopeintherelationship.Thestudentisalsoconcernedwiththeteacher’srighttobe-withthestudentsatall.Afterall,thiswasaprogramthatshouldbestaffedbyexperiencedteacherswhosewayofbeingshouldbeexemplary.Thisstudentfeltdistantfromtheteacherandsomewhat‘lost’inanexperiencewherethemeaningand‘way’wasdifficulttofathom.
Thestudentandteacherarealwaysinrelationship.Whilethestudentorteachermightappearto‘break’thisrelationship,thisisinfactnotpossible.Theontologicalnatureoftherelationshipmeansthattherelationshipisalways-alreadyanintegralpartofboththeteacher’sandthestudent’severydayworlds.Whentherelationshipdoesnotmattertotheteacher,thecharacterofthisexperienceisofconcerntothestudent.Relationalexperiencescanalsocarry‘dis-ease’abouttheclosenessoftherelationship.Inthestorythatfollows,ateacherexperiencesthiswithastudent:
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Karenwasastudentwhousedtobesouptight.Shefeltthe‘system’hadwrongedherbecauseshealreadyhadexperiencesandskillsandknewhowtomanagechildren.Shewasgoodatherpracticeandyetshehadtogothroughthisretrainingcourse.Intheprocess,wehadtoencouragehertogothroughsomepersonalcounselling.
Thefollowingyear,Karenrequestedtobeinmyclassagain.Sheactuallywrotethisinaletter.ShesaidIunderstandher,Iamthereforher;Iunderstoodherproblemsandherissues.Duringthisperiodoftime,Karenwouldtakealotofmytime.Shewaslikethat.IneededtostepbackbecauseIwasgettingtooinvolvedwithher.
Inthisstoryateacherrecallsastudentwhowascompletingheracademicstudyunderduress.Theneedtoretrainisinterpretedasaninjusticebythestudent,giventheextentofthestudent’spriorknowledgeandexperience.Amutualdeepeningoftheteacher-studentrelationshipreachesapointwheretheteacherbecomesuncomfortable.Notonlyhasthestudenttakenalotoftime,butthestudentwantstocontinueinasimilarmannerinthenextsemester.Therequesttotakethisstudentagainenablestheteachertorealisethatshehasbeentoogiving,andherinvolvementhasbecometooclose.Therelationshipappearstohaveacompulsionandexclusivitythathastheteacherfeelingisolatedandtrappedbythestudent.Howcloseshouldtheteacher-studentrelationshipbeand/orbecome?Thisrelationshipmattersdifferentlytotheteacherandthestudent.Thestudentiskeentocontinuetheirrelating,theteacherlessso.
Teacherscanfeelasifcertainstudentsareabusingthetrustwithintheirrelationship.Concernedbythelackofhonesty,teacherswonderabouthowtheyrelatewiththestudents.Somehowtheboundariesofcomfortandsafetyarechallenge,raisinganalertinsituationswherestudents’way-of-beingcanfeeltoofamiliarorevenintrusive.
Thestoriesinthisthemesuggestthatwearealwaysinrelationshipandthatrelationshipsmatter.Theprimordialnatureofbeing
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humanisoneofbeing-with-othersinarelationalco-existencethatisessentialtotheworldwesharewithothers.Onceastudenthasenrolledinaparticularcourse,theteacherandstudentare‘always’inrelationship;ontologically,theycannotexistinanyotherway.Whilehumanbeingshavesomeinfluenceastothe‘nature’oftherelating,weisintegraltobeinghuman.
Comportment
Teachers’andstudents’comportmentissensedbyothersandshowhowtheyare.Whilethiscomportmenthasatemporality,thecomportmentalsohasthefamiliarityofaparticularstandthatshowswhatismostintegraltotheperson.Thisfamiliarityisexperiencedrelationallyinhowtheteacherandstudentcomport.
Inthefollowingstory,astudentdescribesaveryknowledgeableteacherwhodoesnotappeartohaveabreadthofexperienceinthesubjectsheisteaching.Thestudentsensesalackofexperienceinthewaytheteachercomportstowardstheirteaching.
Therewasonelecturer…Idon’tknowthattheyhadworkedinaschool.IthinktheyhadtheiracademicqualificationbutIdon’tknowhowmuchexperiencetheyactuallyhad.ThingscanbeOKintheorybutinpractice,that’snotalwayshowithappens.Shereallyknewheracademicinformation,thetheories,therightanswers,theacademicsideofthingsbutIfeltthatsomewheretherewassomethingmissinginherpracticalknowledge.Idon’tknowhowIknewthatbutitwasjustsomething.She’sthesortofpersonthatyouwishedyouhadherheadonyourshoulderwhenyouweretryingtowriteyourassignmentsbecausesheknewtherightthingstosay.
ShedidcomeandvisitmewhenIwasonapracticuminaschool.Shewasverypositiveandshewasveryspecificwithherpraise,butsomeofthecommentsshemade,Ifelt,weremadefromaperspectiveofsomeonenothavingbeenonthefloorteachingherself,notquiteknowinghowitistobethere.Lecturersneedto
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havetheexperienceonthefloorteaching,howcanyouteachwhenyouhaven’tdoneityourself?
Theteacherinthisstoryrespondsappropriatelyinanacademicsensebutappearstolackpersonalexperienceofthetopicsheisteaching.Theteacher’scomportmentmakesanimpressionuponthestudent’sbeing.Thestudentfeelsthat‘somewheretherewassomethingmissinginherpracticalknowledge’asiftheteacherdidnothaveanexperientialknowledgefromhavingworkedwithchildren.Thisstudentisunsurehowsheknowsthis‘butitwasjustsomething’.Somethinginthewaytheteachercomports,speakstothestudentofsomeone‘notquiteknowinghowitistobethere’withchildren.Hadtheteacherbeenexperienced,hercommentsandinteractionswouldhavebeendifferent,andshowninthewayshecomportsherself.
Theteacher’scomportmentinfluencesthewaythisstudentstandsinherrelationshipwiththeteachermomentbymoment(Heidegger2001).Itisinthewaythattheteacheriswiththestudentthatthestudentfeelsa‘knowing’aboutwhothisteacheris.Whothisteacheriscomesacrosstothestudentondifferentoccasions,suchisthenatureandinfluenceoftheteacher’scomportment(Dreyfus1991).Who this teacher is andhow she iswiththestudentisintegraltotheteaching-learningexperiences.Unlessthestudentcantrustthatateacher’sknowingcomesfromandisrootedinexperience,thenconfidenceintheteacher’spracticalwisdomisundermined.
Forsometeachershow they areinspiresthestudentstheyteach.Theteacher,inthestorythatfollows,comportsinawaythatshowsadeeprespectforthestudent.
Oneteacheraskedusforideasandlistenedtous.Shewasinterestedinus.Shewasn’tinterestedinjusttellingus;shewantedtogetourthoughts.Shewasn’tteachinganythingsignificantlydifferent,butshejustputitintoawaythatwasuseful.Itmadesuchabigdifference.Wehadourclassinthemusicroom.Wehadnodesksoranytables.Therewereheapsofus;toomanyforthe
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seatsintheclass.Foralotofthelecturers,weweretreatedlikewewerekidsinaclass.Theysaidwe’reallcolleaguesbutalotofthemdidn’ttreatuslikethat.Whereasthisteachermanagedtoteachuswithoutactuallymakingusfeellikewewerechildren.Itmadeabigdifference.
Thisstudentdescribesateacherwhoexpectsreciprocityinrelatingwiththestudents.Theteachercomportsanopennessthatcallsforengagementas‘shewantedtoget[thestudent’s]thoughts’.Theteachercommunicatesanattunementtowardsthestudentsregardlessofthelimitationsofthephysicalenvironment.Itisthepeoplewithinthespacethattheteacherisattunedto,ratherthantheproblemsofthespace.
Theteacher’sstandtowardsthestudentisregularlyexperiencedasthisishow this teacher was.Learning,forthisteacher,requiresengagementwithanotherandsharingideasindialogue.Therolesofteacherandlearneraresharedthroughactivelylisteningtohow the students arerelationally.Theexpressionofeachperson’svoiceinthereciprocityofdialoguereleasesthepotentialityoflearning.Thesestudentsfeelasiftheyareanintegralpartoftheirteacher’slearning.Intheprocesstheteacher’sway-of-beingreleasesthisstudenttolearningaboutthewhatandhowofteachingandlearning.
Otherstoriesshowhowateacher’scomportmentcanhavestudentsdreadthethoughtoffurtherencounters.
Ihadalecturerinmyfirstyearwhotreatedmelikeakid.Thewayshespoketome,thewaysheaskedanotherstudenttostoptalking;ImeanitwasprobablyevenmorederogatorythanthewayIaskedmykidstostoptalking.Iwouldn’teventalktothekidsinmyclasslikethat,becausethey’retoooldforthat.Shespokerightdowntome.Shewasscary.Iwasn’ttheonlyonethatwasscaredofher.Shewasscary.IneverhadascaryteacherwhenIwasatschoolbutIlearntwhatonewaslike.Shenoticedabsolutelyeverything.IgotaletterfromthedepartmentsayinghowwellI
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haddoneanassignmentinhercourse.Idon’trememberhereversaying,oh,thatwaswelldone.
Thisstudentfeelsbelittledbyateacherwhosebehaviouris‘scary’.Thisteachercommunicatesmessagesaboutthenatureofrelatingandthe‘place’thatthisstudenthas.Byspeakingtothestudentasanobject,thisteacherletsthestudentsknowthattheyarenotequals.Infact,thestudentfeelslessthanachild,spokendowntoandwithoutanyaffirmation.Thisstudentenduresapassion-lessandfrustratingposition.
Absentfromtheteacher’scomportmentisanacceptanceofthisstudentasa‘particular’personwithparticularinterests.Theteacherdoesnotwanttolistentothestudent,indicativeofcomportmentthatisnotopentobeing-withthestudent.Ratherthanfindingvoice,thestudentissilenced.
Comportmentisour‘modeofbeing’andrelatestohowweareintheworld.Everycomportmentisalwaysalreadyinacertainattunement.Theaccessibilityofanother’scomportingoccurswithintheontologicalexperienceofrelating.
In the play
Therelationshipbetweenateacherandastudentisalwaysinplay.Theplay’smovementhastheteacherandstudentcontinuouslyengagedintheimmediateandconcretesituation(MacintyreLatta&Hostetler2003).Immersedindynamicandunpredictablerelating,theteacherandstudentmoveandbecomeineachsituation.Previouslylearnedtheoreticalknowledgeaboutrelatinggiveswaytoadirectionthatisfoundinthephronesisofthesituation(Dunne1997).Whilethetechne(theknowledgethatinformsthe‘know-how’ofrelating)mightbeusefultothesituation,itisthelivedexperienceofrelatingthathastheunpredictability.Thisthemeshowshowteachersandstudentsexperiencebeing-in-the-playofrelatingandthephronesis(practicewisdom)ofbeing-intherelationalplay.Inthe
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followingstory,ateacherdescribesastudentwhosecontributiontoaclassroomdiscussionisverydifferentfromthewaytheconversationhadbeenunfolding.
Iwasteachingonemorningaroundunderachievementinschools.Howcanteachersmeettheneedsofsomestudentswithregardtoassessment?Inthecourseofthediscussion,weweretalkingaboutgoingthatlittlebitextratoformarelationshipwithstudentsandgivealittlebitofextratimetothosewhoweren’tdoingOK.Wastheresomethingoutsideoftheclassroomorthestructuredlessonthatyoucoulddothatwouldhelpthemachievemore?
Oneparticularstudentsaid,well,thatsoundsreallyniceandveryidealisticbutwhyamIgoingtogiveanextrahourorthreehoursaweektothatstudentifI’mnotgettingpaidforit?Heinstantlyblewmeaway.Whereareyoucomingfromonthis?
BeforeIhadtimetoreact,oneoftheotherstudentsopenlychallengedhimandsaid,ifyou’vegotthatattitude,ifyou’rejustinittofillinhoursandtakehomewages,whydoyouwanttobeateacher?Isn’tteachingabouthelpingpeople,ofgoingthatextradistance,ofmakingadifference?Andhesaid,yeah,aslongasI’mgettingpaidforit.Hewasabsolutelyserious.Hewasstraightup.Where’sthisguycomingfromonthat?He’snolongerafaceamongthestudents.
Amidaconversationexploringthesupportthatmightbeofferedtostudentswhoarestrugglingwiththeirlearning,thisparticularstudentexpressesaconcernforhissalaryinprovidingsuchsupport.Otherstudentshadbeenofferingtheirthoughtsbutwhatcaughtthisteacher’sattentionwasthestudent’sapparentself-interestatatimewhenthesupportforunder-achievingstudentswasbeingexplored.Thisparticularmomentinfluencesthemovementofhowthisteacherandstudentrelate.Thisteacherisconcerned,attuningherselftotherelationalplaythatisunfoldingbetweentheteacher,thestudent,andtheotherstudentsintheclass.
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Theteacherfindsherselffeeling‘blownaway’,thrownbythestudent’scommentsandstrugglestounderstandwherethisstudentiscomingfrom;whoisthisonewhospeaks?Thethrownnessisareminderthat,asHeidegger(1996)states,weareliterallysituatedinthemidstofaworldofinterplaysbeyondourcontrol.ForHeidegger,ourthrownnessisnota‘finishedfact’(1996:179);rather,beingthrownintoanalreadyexistingworld,weprojectontoanalways-alreadypresentworldfromwithinourthrownness.Hostetler,MacintyreLattaandSarroubsuggestthatperhaps‘afirststepforteachersinpursuitofmeaningistoacknowledgetheirthrownness’(2007:234).
Theteacherisnotreadyandabletorelatedifferently;sheissearchingformeaningintheplay.Thisteachermightchoosetoremoveherselffromtheexperiencebutinsteadshefindsherselfcaught,ifnot‘trapped’,intherelationalplay.Theteacher’sexperienceofrelatingwiththestudentisoneofwrestlingfora‘way-to-be’amidtheuncertaintyofaverypresentandfluidreality.
Thisstoryrevealstheseriousnessandthefrailtyoftherelationshipbetweenateacherandastudent.Theseriousnessisseeninthedelicateopeningandclosingofrelationshipwithinaclassroomdialogue.Broughttogetherforaneducationalendeavour,therelationshipmovesand‘becomes’intheplay.Thisbecomingisexperiencedinmomentsthatchangethenatureandmovementoftherelatingbetweenateacherandstudent.Beinginsuchexperiencesisanembodiedmoment,filledwithanxietyandcarryingtheparticipantsintheplay,thatistherelationship.
Thefollowingstoryshowsvariousaspectsofphronesisthatareprimordialtobeingintheplayofrelating.Withinthestory,thephronesisisshownintermsofitsresoluteness,techne,tact,pedagogicalthoughtfulness,moralknowingandattunement.ThisstoryfocusesonaninteractionbetweenTania,astudentteacherwithexperienceinearlychildhoodcontexts,andherlecturer.
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Taniahadbeenoutthereworkinginthefieldforsixyearsandkneweverythingtherewastoknow.Iwentouttoassessherteachingpracticeandwasconcerned.Icouldhearalotofhervoiceandnotalotofthechildren’s.Istartedtalkingtoheraboutthisandshesaidtome,well,whatamIsupposedtotalktothemabout?Well,whatcanyoutalkaboutwithchildren?Whatdidyoudothismorning?Whatdidtheydowhentheygotupthismorning?Wouldn’tthatbeastartingpoint?Shesaid,Idon’tknowwhetherIcandothat.
SoIjustsatwiththechildrenandstartedtalkingtothemaboutdrivinguptotheirtownonthatdayandwhatI’dseenontheroaddrivinguptherethatday.Isawthisreallyreallycutesheep.ItwassolittleandsofluffyandIjustwantedtogetoutandholdit.Thensomeonesaid,I’vegotabearathomeandhe’ssoft.ShecouldseewhatIwasdoing.ThenIsaidtoher,nowyougoandsitwiththem,yousharesomethingwiththem.Theywerealloverher.Shecouldn’tgetawordinedgeways.Shewasalmostintearsbecauseshewasstaggeredathowmuchtheyweretellingher.Shehadn’trealised.She’satotallydifferentperson.Ithadsuchaneffectonher.
Inthisstory,alecturerfindsthattalkingwithastudentaboutherconcernsismetwithquestionsanduncertainty.Respondingtothemoment,thelecturersitswiththechildrenandengagestheminsuchawaythatareciprocityofrelatingbegins.Shedidnotcometothisexperienceexpectingtobeengagingwiththechildrenfirst-hand.
Thisisnotashowbytheteacher.Thesincerityoftheteacher’srelatingwiththechildrenopensaverydifferentdialogue.Thesechildrenwere‘playing’freelyindialoguewiththeteacher.Thisteacherleaptin,uncertainofwhatmighttranspirebutwithanimprovisationthatisinthestudent’sbestinterests.Anexclusivefocusonthetechneofthismoment(e.g.thelessonplan)might‘squeezeouttheselfinteachingasthe“who”issidelinedandsilencedbythe“what”’.Thewisdomintheteacher’sactionschangehowthisteacherandstudentexperiencetheplayoftheirrelating.
232 David Giles, Elizabeth Smythe and Debra Spence
Thissituationisnothopelessforthestudentasshecannowseehowtheteacherwasinteractingdifferently.Acceptingtheopportunitytobewiththechildreninadifferentway,thisstudentisoverwhelmedandmoved.FieldandLatta(2001)suggestthatsomeexperiencesre-memberus,causingustobeadifferentpersoninadifferentplace.
Inthisstory,theteacher’sphronesisopensthepossibilityofthestudent’slearning.Themomentcallsforthestudenttobeintheuncertaintyoftherelationalplaywithchildren.Bothteacherandstudentteacherexperiencetheunrehearsedto-and-fromovementofbeingin-the-playofrelating.
Thisthemehasfocusedontheplaythatisrelating.Theplayerstakeforgrantedthemomentsandmovementoftheplay.Theunpredictabilityanduncertaintyoftheplayisopenedinthemomentinresponsetotheplay.Suchpracticalwisdom,orindeedtheabsenceofsuch,isnotengenderedasacognitiveactbutratheraperson’ssensitisedattunementtothemovementoftheplay.Thecreativeprocessofbeingintheplaydrawsupontheperson’spracticalknowledgefortheimmediateandparticularsituation.
Conclusion
Relationshipsareessentialtotheeducationalexperiencewhethertheyarerecognisedornot.Whentherelationshipbetweenateacherandastudentisgoodweseldomattendtotherelationship.Whiletherelationshipmatterstotheexperience,therelationshipliesoutofsightandislargelytakenforgranted.Indeed,theredoesnotappeartobeanythinkingorwonderingabouttherelationshiportheabilityoftheteacherandstudenttorelate.Onotheroccasions,theassumptionthatrelationshipsmatteriscalledintoquestion.Inthesetimes,theteacher-studentrelationshipconcernsthestudentandisstressfulfortheteacher.Inthesemoments,theconcernovertherelationshipforegroundstheteaching-learningexperienceforthoseinvolved.
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Whilerelationshipscanbeincorrectlyassumedtomatter,itiscriticallyimportantthateducatorsbecomemoreattentivetohowtheirrelationshipiswiththeirstudentsindividuallyandcollectively.Educatorsneedtohavetheabilitytorelatetotheirstudents,aswellasremainattunedtorecognisehowtheserelationshipsaremattering.Student—teacherrelationshipsarefeltandinterpretedbythoseinvolved,whethertheyareconsciouslyawareofthisornot.Thisresearchinquiryfoundthatwhentheteacher-studentrelationshipmatters,thiscanbeseenandfeltineachperson’sway-of-being.
Aneducator’sdispositionsandsensibilitiestowardsrelationshipsareessentialtotheeducationalendeavour.Inspiringteachers,havingsuchdispositionsandsensibilities,leapintorelationalexperiencesandavailthemselvesoftherelationalmomentanditsmovement.Theybecomeincreasinglyadeptatreadingtherelationshipandlivingphronesisinthemoment.Foregroundingrelationshipsineducationhasthepotentialforhumanisingeducationalpraxisinthefaceofpowerfulanddominanteducationaldiscoursesthathavetakentheteacher-studentrelationshipforgrantedforthesakeofthesystemthatoughttoserveit.
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About the authors
David Giles is Dean of the School of Education at Flinders University. His research interests focus on the relational nature of pedagogy, educational leadership, and organizational cultures. Hermeneutic Phenomenology and Appreciative Inquiry are his preferred research methodologies. For David, the relational and moral imperative of education is essential to our praxis.
Elizabeth Smythe is an Associate Professor in the Health Faculty at Auckland University of Technology. Her research expertise is mainly related to Heideggerian hermeneutic methodology. She supervises doctoral students across a wide range of disciplines as they seek to reveal more of the experience of ‘being human’. Her own discipline background is nursing and midwifery.
Deb Spence is joint Head of Nursing in the Faculty of Health at Auckland University of Technology. She supervises and researches using hermeneutics and phenomenology. Her background is in nursing and education.
236 David Giles, Elizabeth Smythe and Debra Spence
Contact details
Dr. David L. Giles, Associate Professor, School of Education, Flinders University, GPO 2100, Adelaide, South Australia 5001 Tel: +61 8 8201 5187 Fax: +61 8 8201 3184 Email: [email protected]
Elizabeth A. Smythe, Auckland University of Technology, Private Bag 92006, Auckland 1142, New Zealand Email: [email protected]
Deborah G. Spence, Auckland University of Technology, Private Bag 92006, Auckland 1142, New Zealand Email: [email protected]