Nel Noddings & the ethics of care

Recently in my Principles and Techniques of Teaching in Secondary School course, we discussed an educational philosopher by the name of Nel Noddings. Noddings worked in the education profession for a number of years. She started out as an elementary and high school math teacher and school administrator. Noddings later became a college professor and administrator for over twenty years before she retired in 1998.

She developed an educational philosophy called the ethics of care. The ethics of care involves the teacher, who is called the carer, exhibiting a deep understanding for the student, who is called the cared-for. After the understanding is developed, the teacher then base his or her behavior on the needs of the student. Finally, once the teacher establishes the caring relationship the student must show they he or she knows how to care for others as well as themselves.

Critics of Noddings’ philosophy believe that the teacher is carrying out the traditional female role in life of giving while receive little in return. They also believe the relationship between the teacher and student is unequal because the act of caring is solely controlled by the teacher thus making the student dependent upon the teacher. To the critics this is seen as an unhealthy relationship.

Whether one agrees with her philosophy or not, it is good to see the diversity in the ways a student can be taught. I have provided a link to Noddings’ ethics of care so you can read more about it.

http://www.infed.org/thinkers/noddings.htm