The Possibility of Life in the Index:

A Phenomenological Search in Online Zoom Teaching

Authors

  • Ying Ma Kwantlen Polytechnic University

Keywords:

Phenomenology, Teaching Via Zoom, Subjective Presence

Abstract

The pandemic has resulted in unprecedented school shutdowns all around the world. Teaching was, in a very abrupt way, transitioned to online settings. However, it often neglects the fundamental questions including what technology does to our teaching. Seldomly, research has been conducted on teachers' lived experiences of online teaching in the search for renewed meanings and alternative possibilities. I attempt to explore my own online teaching experiences with the phenomenological lens, investigating the possibility of subjective presence in my story of teaching via Zoom to work from within. I hope to tap into the experiential ground of online teaching. The lingering voices, the faces of others, the differentiated thoughts and opinions all animate the teaching and learning space of Zoom. However filtered through the screen, our humanity still grows and thrives in the technologized sphere.

Author Biography

Ying Ma, Kwantlen Polytechnic University

Ying Ma is an instructor in the Department of Educational Studies at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. Prior to her Master’s and Ph.D. studies at UBC, she had been a high school teacher in Beijing China for seven years.

She is the author of her 2024 new book "The Ethics of Becoming a Good Teacher: In Conversation with Aristotle and Confucius," under Routledge. In recent years, she published in different educational journals such as Research in Education, Prospect, Transnational Curriculum Inquiry, Asian Pacific Education Review, as well as book chapters on topics of ethics, curriculum theory, pedagogy, equality, evaluation, Western and Eastern wisdom traditions. Dr. Ma hopes to humbly contribute to the ongoing conversation surrounding education, with a focus not only within Canada but extending to the broader international community.

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Published

2024-05-29

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 1 (2024): Unthemed

Section

Peer-Reviewed Submissions