Abstract:

Pedagogical numbness,as a kind of instructional risk induced by traditional classroom lecturing,refers to the condition in which,under the assumed premise of intellectual inequality between teacher and students,the teacher’s lecturing behavior deprives students of the opportunity to exercise their intellect. It is an act of intellectual diminishment that traps students in a state of unfreedom and rigidity in knowledge learning. Pedagogical numbness is triggered by several factors: teachers who implement numbing instruction,students who become intellectually dependent,and “silent” instructional materials. It exhibits characteristics such as latent occurrence,stable operation,and diffuse consequences. Pedagogical numbness may forge a “technical cage” within the classroom,leading to the spread of teaching fatigue;it may awaken the “evil of thoughtlessness” in teachers’minds,resulting in the erosion of teaching dignity;it may point toward the emergence of the “one-dimensional person,” leading to the loss of student subjectivity. To dissolve pedagogical numbness,teachers need to take equality as the starting point of teaching,return to the human essence of education,and embark on a journey of knowledge exploration grounded in equality. They need to cultivate the virtue of the “ignorant teacher” and live a reflective teaching life;they need to build dialogical teaching relationships and create intersubjective encounters;they need to pursue an aesthetic attitude toward teaching and create “work-like” educational achievements.

Key words: numbness, pedagogical numbness, classroom instruction, teaching risk