SILENCE IN THE VIRTUAL CLASSROOM: AN AUTOETHNOGRAPHY OF SELF-REFLECTION AND THE SPIRITUALITY OF TEACHING

Abstract

This research article aims to: (1) explain and construct the meaning of student silence in the context of online learning from the researcher’s perspective by conducting an in-depth analysis and interpretation of the underlying significance of such silence; (2) examine how the researcher employed reflective practices to address silence during teaching, by exploring the strategies and reflective processes that led to positive transformation; and (3) develop knowledge and understanding of the researcher’s spiritual dimension in the context of online teaching by linking the researcher’s personal experiences with the spiritual aspects of learning. The study employed autoethnography as its methodological framework, drawing on the researcher’s personal experiences, journals, and related personal documents. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis, following analytical principles of autoethnographic research.

          The findings reveal that:

1. Silence is not merely an absence of response or an indicator of disinterest, but rather a form of wordless communication with diverse and complex expressions.


2. Managing silence in online classrooms is not a matter of ad hoc responses, but instead the outcome of a “systematic reflective process”, which entails documenting events, feelings, and interpretations following each teaching session, particularly in situations where silence became pronounced.


3. The “spirituality of being a teacher” in the online context comprises three distinctive qualities: (1) being a creator of sacred spaces that allow learners to feel safe and recognised, even in the absence of a tangible physical environment; (2) being a deep listener, which includes listening to voices, listening to silence, and listening with the heart to what is unspoken; and (3) being a connector across boundaries, whether of distance, time, or differing life contexts.