Emotional Distance
People who are emotionally distant are unable to recognise and address both their own feelings and the feelings of others around them. This can either be a temporary state or it can be part of a person’s personality. Emotional distance in interpersonal relationships is a sense of detachment or disconnection between individuals that can arise when one or both people involved are not fully engaging with each other on an emotional level. This can manifest in a variety of ways, such as a lack of communication, avoidance of vulnerable topics or a general feeling of being emotionally disconnected from one another.
There is a variety of different strategies to be used by a trainer effectively in order to prevent and exclude emotional distance from online teaching. Whilst it is important for teachers to retain a professional relationship with their students and not become too emotionally involved, it is also important that teachers ensure they are not emotionally distant.
To conclude, by understanding the importance of emotional distance in online teaching, teachers can tailor their approach to better connect with their students and create a sense of community within their virtual classrooms. Strategies such as using icebreakers and group activities can be effective in creating opportunities for students to connect with each other and with their teacher.
