Contact with My Teacher’s Eyes

Abstract

Eye contact, a subtle, pedagogical encounter in our classrooms easily slips teachers’ attention because of its transient nature. Teachers see their students almost every day. Yet, what does a moment of eye contact mean experientially to our students? By asking the question, ‘what is the student’s experience of making eye contact with their teacher,’ this paper represents a phenomenological study that captures this phenomenon and delves into its pedagogical meanings. Through lived experience description and phenomenological reflection, this research shows pedagogical eye contact, a usually taken-for-granted dimension, mediates our pedagogical relation and calls for teacher’s thoughtfulness.