The Presence of the Body in Digital Education: A Phenomenological Approach to Embodied Experience

Abstract

In a context of pervasive digitalization of the social world, both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, the field of education has undergone major changes with the development of digital practices and settings. However, the physical presence of the subjects and the body remain something primordial and irreplaceable in traditional educational processes. Thus, it is often assumed that virtuality is opposed to the corporeal reality of the subjects involved in teaching, learning and studying. In this paper we aim to critically challenge this assumption by addressing the phenomenon of virtuality in a more original sense: as a fundamental dimension of corporeality itself. Drawing on Merleau-Ponty's phenomenological insights, we argue that the experience of the virtual is inherently embodied and fully real. We understand corporeality and virtuality as entangled and multidimensional phenomena. At the same time, this leads us to rethink the digital as only one possible medium in which virtuality can appear as inherent to embodied experience. We develop our phenomenological approach in three instances. First, we question and bracket two common assumptions about corporeality. From our critical perspective, assumptions about a disembodied digitality and a devirtualized corporeality represent extremes within which educational discourses currently move. Second, we address the inherent virtuality of embodied experience. We outline the heuristic concept of the virtual body (Merleau-Ponty) to describe corporeality and virtuality as entangled and multidimensional phenomena that encompass extension, intercorporeality and intermediality. Finally, we make some remarks on the relationships of corporeality and virtuality considering the challenges of digital education.

Investigating Embodied Presence across Various Formats in Higher Education: A Phenomenological Heuristic Approach from a Bildung-Theoretical Perspective

“…The possibilities and limitations of virtual embodiment encounters have become more virulent over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic [4], warranting a closer examination of the effects of virtual teaching spaces on the self and world connections described. Since simultaneity is constitutive of the virtual [39], we refer exclusively to synchronous seminars, which are characterized by participants being present at the same time. The considerations build on the thesis that synchronous seminar practice more closely resembles embodied interaction in face-to-face seminars, while asynchronous seminars resemble an individual practice [40].…”

“…Instead of abandoning online learning or using faceto-face instruction as an idealized benchmark, "we should focus on designing courses and pedagogies that scaffold the bodily, affective, and interactive dynamics constitutive of understanding in a particular domain" [46] (p. 429). Digitally-mediated pedagogical situations can be extrapolated as specific expressions of a persistent embodiment as the virtual classroom experience is "not so much based on sharing a physical space, but on sharing a feeling of 'being there' and 'being together'" [39] (p. 26). As already articulated in existentialism [47], the bodily constitution of human beings materializes in front of third parties even "when these are only imaginary or virtually present" [32] (p. 196).…”

“…Following the approach of Merleau-Ponty, embodiment is not only a physical instrument opposed to virtuality, rather, the body-as-subject is "a system of possible actions, as virtual body with its phenomenal 'place' defined by its task and situation" [16] (p. 291). Caution advises against devaluing digital experience [50], as lifeworld experience in physical presence cannot be idealized as the only authentic form of experience, given that the phenomenon of virtuality is also "a fundamental dimension of corporeality" [39] (p. 32). From a post-phenomenological view, the distinction between face-to-face seminars and online seminars is not to be understood as a juxtaposition in a competitive sense.…”

Implementation of a Remote Instrumental Music Course Focused on Creativity, Interaction, and Bodily Movement. Preliminary Insights and Thematic Analysis

“…These latter aspects are often deemed crucial in face-to-face lessons and are generally seen as fundamental factors to facilitate the development of musical skills and a meaningful pedagogical experience in a variety of settings ( Burnard, 2002 , 2016 ; Odena, 2018 ; Addessi, 2020 ; Schiavio et al, 2021b ). However, it has been argued that such categories are not always given the attention they deserve in many musical learning contexts (see Persson, 1994 ; Rostvall and West, 2003 ; Borgo, 2007 ); furthermore, addressing creativity, interaction, and bodily movement could also be more difficult in group distance learning contexts when compared to more traditional musical settings (e.g., one-to-one tuition), given the inherent differences between physical and virtual presence ( Pike and Shoemaker, 2013 ; Hash, 2020 ; Obrad, 2020 ; Willatt and Flores, 2021 ). And indeed, an important aspect of the present study is that our participants started learning to play the clarinet in a remote environment right away.…”

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“…These latter aspects are often deemed crucial in face-to-face lessons and are generally seen as fundamental factors to facilitate the development of musical skills and a meaningful pedagogical experience in a variety of settings (Burnard, 2002(Burnard, , 2016Odena, 2018;Addessi, 2020;Schiavio et al, 2021b). However, it has been argued that such categories are not always given the attention they deserve in many musical learning contexts (see Persson, 1994;Rostvall and West, 2003;Borgo, 2007); furthermore, addressing creativity, interaction, and bodily movement could also be more difficult in group distance learning contexts when compared to more traditional musical settings (e.g., one-to-one tuition), given the inherent differences between physical and virtual presence (Pike and Shoemaker, 2013;Hash, 2020;Obrad, 2020;Willatt and Flores, 2021). And indeed, an important aspect of the present study is that our participants started learning to play the clarinet in a remote environment right away.…”