[Phenomenology] Journal #2

1. Dictionary:

(1) Openness:
"Openness...means that researchers have to make good choices of good scientific equipment to make themselves available to the world, to the phenomenon of interest, as they present themselves" (Dalhberg, Dalhberg & Nyström, 2008). "[Openness] requires thoughtful vigilance over one's approach to the phenomena of the world" (Dalhberg, Dalhberg & Nyström, 2008). In order to practice openness in the phenomenological investigation, researchers not only need to have "an open attitude," "seek knowledge maintain an open position to the phenomenon and thereby lets the phenomenon demonstrate how it can and should be studied" (p.98), but also need to have "an open and immediate mind" (p.100). Smaling (1995) identify three kinds of openness: open-mindedness, open-heartedness, and dialogical openness. My interpretation is: a researchers with openness always carefully examine what is already exist in his/her pre-understandings, and sensitive to everything happen beyond his/her pre-understanding and experience, so that he/she is able to "go to the things itself" and approach the phenomena of the world.

(2) Natural Attitude:
According to Husserl (1970a), the nature attitude is the "everyday immersion in one's existence and experience in which we take for granted that the world is as we perceive it, and that others experience the world as we do." "In the natural attitude we do not critically reflect on our immediate action and response to the world, we just do it, we just are" (Dalhberg, Dalhberg & Nyström, 2008). Dalhberg, Dalhberg & Nyström (2008) claim that this attitude is "too imprecise, weak and vague for scientific purpose" (p.34). In order to understand the phenomenon in a scientific way, we need to transfer our natural attitude to so called "phenomenology attitude" or "bridling attitude."

2. Bridling

Teachers who teach face-to-face usually think they can teach the same content online.

I'm always curious about the phenomenon of the transition of some of the face-to-face courses to online courses in US higher education today. Do teachers who used to teach the course they teach face-to-face feel comfortable when they are teach the same courses online?

The question can be discussed in two folds: teachers who feel comfortable to teach online, and those who feel uncomfortable to teach online.

For those who feel comfortable to transfer what they teach from face-to-face to the online interface, how do they organize their curriculum they teach? Do they need to change their pedagogy? Does the interaction between teachers and students change?

For those who feel struggle with the transition? Do they receive any support from the institution? Do they experience any difficulty when switching interfaces? Do their teaching beliefs be challenge?

As a LT major and also gained some experiences to teach both face-to-face and online, my pre-understandings or prior knowledge tell me that it is definitely different between teaching face-to-face and online. To teach online is not merely to transfer the course material from classrooms to online environments but to require some pedagogical change. However, I met/heard some instructors who believe there is no differences and only want to follow the way they used to teach face-to-face. Some teachers recognized the differences and are willing to seek ways to teach better online. Some teachers just struggled, they may or may not look for support to solve their technological/pedagogical problems.

The phenomenon may be derived from the "transition," it is not only the transition of the institutional policy, but also the transition of different "teaching interface." The transition usually means change and challenge. It changes the way and the environment we are used to. It changes the way we interact with others. It challenge the beliefs we usually have. People reflect and act differently according to the transition. Some are willing to change, some are struggled, some people just don't sense the transition.

In facing of the teaching face-to-face and online transition, teachers are confronting the challenges of their teaching philosophy and pedagogy. To keep this transition move smoothly, institutions may need to develop some related professional development program to support their teachers.