Presence in Teaching-Learning: Insights From the Movie Patch Adams and Others

Abstract

As social distancing seems to have become the new normal in the ongoing struggle to prevent the spread of COVID-19, this column focuses on the challenge of presence in the teaching-learning endeavor that often is lived in virtual settings. When presence is defined as being in the same place at the same time as another, suggesting that presence is essential to teaching-learning would certainly run counter to the recommended practice of social distancing. However, the question must be asked if it is essential for the teacher and learner to be in a particular place at the same moment for presence in teaching-learning to be known. Clarity of the meaning of presence in the teaching-learning endeavor is pursued through considering insights gained from the movie Patch Adams. Further, insights from the humanbecoming paradigm are explored to provide new ways of moving onward in teaching-learning.