ABSTRACT
In Chapter 3, I will look more closely at three forms of communication which are connected to indirectness in education, that is, irony, deceit and existential communication through pictures. I argue that such forms of communication are detrimental in that the recipient, in this case the student, may be exploited, manipulated and tricked, possibly leading to distrust between the teacher and the student. I do not suggest that the solution may be to exclude such forms of communication from educational situations even though they may be detrimental. Rather, I argue that these forms of communication are Janus-faced; that is, they may be detrimental but they may also be fruitful in certain educational situations. I will therefore assess irony, deceit and existential communication through pictures from two different educational angles—that is, both detrimental and educative perspectives. In the chapter, I will use excerpts from interviews with a teacher working in upper secondary school, as well as examples and thought experiments connected to teaching. The goal of the chapter is to lay foundations for the development of a pedagogical communication theory.
