In the post-pandemic educational landscape, many educators find that they are increasingly asked to provide support to their students that far exceeds the curricular requirements; support in incorporating and navigating life-changing and at times life-threatening events, feelings of anxiety, and uncertainty. Many educators who returned to post-pandemic classrooms felt that the profession had quietly shifted, and those who were sensitive enough to align with new needs felt that notions of relating and coming together were at the forefront of their practice. Coming together was forbidden for so long that it took on new meanings when it was resumed.
During the pandemic years, professional organisations supported teachers who had to transition to emergency online teaching with talks and workshops on digital literacy, online learning tools, and practices. While it is crucial to keep the momentum and return to this area of practice, it is also important to support the teaching community by addressing the new needs that revolve around the notions of care within language educational contexts.
Text by: Dr. Sylvia Karastathi
The word ‘care’ in the philosophy of education is more than an ordinary word. There are useful definitions; for example, Sevenhuijsen (1998) defines care as a skill that helps “to ‘see’ and to ‘hear’ needs and to take responsibility for these needs being met”. In unpacking the concept, it was crucial to consider the definition of care by moral philosopher Nel Noddings (1984). Noddings focuses on the relational aspects of care. In Noddings' ‘Theory of Care’, the philosopher promotes the maintenance and establishment of ethical caring relationships. In her theory, she identifies two roles: the one-caring and the one-cared for. These roles are not static but interchangeable, and in education, teachers are usually the ones caring. But in the context of professional development for teachers, the roles are reversed, and teachers become the ones-cared for.
The impact of Noddings’ ideas on educational theory is far-reaching and more urgent and relevant today in an environment where we experience a crisis of care. For our Teacher Support agenda in LanguageCert, we are shifting the conversation to 'Cultivating a culture of care in language education'. Culture is something organic and ongoing, a never-ending process; it is not simply a tool or a practice, but a way of being and operating that is structured with frameworks and rituals.
During 2023, we have been discussing with expert speakers and asking members of our teaching community to envision what a culture of care in language education may look and feel like.
Drawing on Noddings’ definition of care and her components of a caring relationship: engrossment, motivational displacement, and reciprocity, it is important to nuance and reframe teachers’ own, at times instinctive practices, towards more sustained, intentional, and recognised acts of care. By developing an actual vocabulary and common recognition of these acts, acts of care will emerge as the ones most highly valued and needed when educating in times of uncertainty.
Inspired by Kieran Donaghy’s plenary talk, ‘Embedding a Culture of Empathy in ELT’, LanguageCert has invited Kieran to IATEFL Harrogate to revisit his ideas on the notion of empathy, situating them within the context of care. What does care look like within language education contexts? How can we develop an effective ‘vocabulary of care’ when it comes to teaching?
Here is what Kieran Donaghy shared with us:
The characteristics of an empathetic teacher:
Empathic teachers are attentive, enthusiastic, positive, considerate, unselfish, caring, kind, and pleasant. These teachers’ empathic and caring behaviour engenders similar behaviour in their students and helps to produce what Bridget Cooper calls 'the constant human dialogue’ necessary for learning to take place.
Why empathy and caring are particularly important in language education
Research indicates that empathy, caring, and high-quality relationships are central to all successful learning and development. However, in contemporary language classrooms where there is a focus on communication, social interactions, and cultural diversity, empathy and caring are particularly important.
The role that empathy must play within AI-enabled learning environments:
Roman Krznaric has defined empathy as "the art of stepping imaginatively into the shoes of another person, understanding their feelings and perspectives, and using that understanding to guide your actions." Machines cannot do this because they cannot identify mentally with human beings, and they will never fully comprehend a human being. However, machines are capable of providing the appearance of empathy, but we need to be fully aware that this is artificial empathy, as human experience cannot ever be replicated, and a machine can never care for us.
Watch the full talk, ‘Embedding a Culture of Empathy in English Language Teaching' by Kieran Donaghy on the LanguageCert YouTube channel and delve into the nuances of care-focused education.
The LanguageCert Teacher Support Team
