Opening the closed text: the poetics of representations of teaching

I provide an analysis of the uses of representations of teaching by embedding such representations within Umberto Eco’s theory of the open work, in which literary works are understood not as carriers of a string of meanings, controlled by the author (“closed works”), but rather as fields of meaning. I contend that the well-established tradition of using representations of teaching for pedagogical purposes corresponds to the use of closed works. In contrast, their use for research purposes corresponds to the use of open works. I develop these considerations through an analysis of several representations of teaching, and show how features of these representations work variously to either open or close the work. I also provide anecdotal evidence that viewers of such “open works” may fall victim to a version of the so-called “intentional fallacy.” I discuss the implications of this for the integrity of the research enterprise.