In this article I show the relevance of Emmanuel Levinas’ notion of primordial teaching for understanding why online teaching cannot adequately mimic face-to-face teaching. I will argue that the current Covid-19 pandemic shows us that being in the immediacy of the embodied presence of one's students is intimately intertwined with being responsive to the needs of students, which highlights that teaching is not only the transmission of intellectual knowledge and skills but first and foremost an ethical attunement to the suffering of the Other. Levinas argues that teaching is in its essence a relation between unique individuals; a uniqueness that originates in the individual's unconditional responsibility to each and every other human being. This unconditional responsibility is for Levinas the non-mediated embodied sensitivity to the needs of the Other; an openness that precedes freedom and the conscious choice of a person. In this article I claim this embodied sensitivity is jeopardised in online education, which makes it harder for the teacher to attune to the needs of every student. The risk we run is that the face of the Other remains ‘plastic’, which makes it more difficult for the teacher to attune to the specific needs of students. I will argue that online teaching should not only concentrate on enabling the transmission of knowledge but should also invest in creating an environment of intimacy that enables responsiveness and genuine contact.

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关于面对自己的学生：Emmanuel Levinas 与 Covid-19 时代教学的相关性

在这篇文章中，我展示了 Emmanuel Levinas 的原始教学概念对于理解为什么在线教学不能充分模仿面对面教学的相关性。我将争辩说，当前的 Covid-19 大流行向我们表明，在学生身临其境的当下，与响应学生的需求密切相关，这凸显了教学不仅仅是知识和技能的传播但首先是对他者的苦难的道德协调。列维纳斯认为，教学本质上是独特个体之间的关系。一种独特性，源于个人对每一个人的无条件责任。这种无条件的责任是列维纳斯对他者需要的非中介的体现的敏感性；一种先于自由和个人有意识选择的开放。在本文中，我声称这种体现的敏感性在在线教育中受到威胁，这使得教师更难适应每个学生的需求。我们面临的风险是他者的面孔仍然是“可塑的”，这使得教师更难适应学生的特定需求。我认为，在线教学不仅应该专注于知识的传播，还应该投资于创造一个能够做出反应和真正接触的亲密环境。在本文中，我声称这种体现的敏感性在在线教育中受到威胁，这使得教师更难适应每个学生的需求。我们面临的风险是他者的面孔仍然是“可塑的”，这使得教师更难适应学生的特定需求。我认为，在线教学不仅应该专注于知识的传播，还应该投资于创造一个能够做出反应和真正接触的亲密环境。在本文中，我声称这种体现的敏感性在在线教育中受到威胁，这使得教师更难适应每个学生的需求。我们面临的风险是他者的面孔仍然是“可塑的”，这使得教师更难适应学生的特定需求。我认为，在线教学不仅应该专注于知识的传播，还应该投资于创造一个能够做出反应和真正接触的亲密环境。