Care: from Nel Noddings

Posted on by

Here I will collect, write and research with a focus on the writing of Nel Noddings’ notion of an ‘ethos of care’. I do this work in preparation for an upcoming conference presentation at OER20. I’ll attempt to bring light to this notion framed by my experiences in a cross-cultural, collaborative, mentoring project.

Noddings, N. (1988). An ethic of care and its implications for instructional arrangements. American Journal of Education, 96(2), 215-230. www.jstor.org/stable/1085252

Here, Noddings outlines…

Noddings, N., & Scott Enright, D. (1983). The promise of open education. Theory into Practice, 22(3), 182–189.

In this article ….

Noddings, N. (1994). Conversation as moral education. Journal of Moral Education, 23(2), 107.

Noddings continues to explore …

Noddings, N. (1995). Teaching themes of caring. Education Digest, 61(3), 24.

“Caring is not just a warm, fuzzy feeling that makes people kind and likeable. Caring implies a continuous search for competence.” With these words, Noddings explores …

Noddings, N. (1996). Stories and affect in teacher education. Cambridge Journal of Education, 26(3), 435.

While not directly connecting to the specific focus for this abbreviated annotated bibliography, this article is of interest because of the connection to teacher education. There are ….

Noddings, N. (2001). The care tradition: beyond “add women and stir.” Theory Into Practice, 40(1), 29–34.

This one connects directly to the OER20 presentation in that it

Noddings examines the “add women and stir” approach to curriculum delivery, specifically in social studies, as being woefully inadequate and suggests a “universal caregiving model” as an alternative approach. In this model, students will explore the notion of homemaking and care-giving from “history, philosophy, literature, art, music, geography, psychology” (p. 31) perspectives. While the need for caring continues to grow in modern societies, the notion of leaving it to women should be dismantled through education. This connects to the OER20 and mentoring work in the sense that caring and mentoring is often advocated for women, and women are often relegated to the mentee role.

Noddings, N. (2005). Identifying and responding to needs in education. Cambridge Journal of Education, 35(2), 147–159.

Here again there are links to …

Noddings, N. (2010). Moral education in an age of globalization. Educational Philosophy & Theory 42(4), 390–396.

Bringing this ethos of care into global spaces….

Noddings, N. (2012). The caring relation in education. Oxford Review of Education, 38(6), 771-781. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2012.745047

Brings forward notions of roles and actions of caring …

Noddings, Nel. 2003. “Is Teaching a Practice?” Journal of Philosophy of Education 37 (2): 241–51. doi:10.1111/1467-9752.00323.

While not specific to an ethos of care, Noddings does write about how teaching can be defined as a practice, through an analysis of professionalism and the criteria that qualify for teaching – intention, reasonableness, and manner. Here she emphasizes the connection between teaching and learning as a relational act, not in terms of Dewey’s notion of transactional actions like buying and selling, but as relational reciprocity between teacher and student. All teaching does not equate to learning. Noddings distinguishes between professionalism and professionalization with a view to internal and externally established markers of the practice of teaching. Internal excellence relates to altruism, service, and concern for others, along with the “complexity, uniqueness, and integrity of their activities” (p. 247). Externally, professions have “control over selection and regulation of members, specialised knowledge and language, altruism or service, privilege and status hierarchies, collegiality, and autonomy” (p. 247). Noddings concluded that the primary focus of teachers is to the discipline of teaching, not to other disciplines focusing on subject matter. Teaching is a relational practice because of the “distinctive criteria of internal excellence” embodied by broad knowledge and relations of care and trust.

Critique of ‘caring’

Bergman, R. (2004). Caring for the ethical ideal: Nel Noddings on moral education. Journal of Moral Education, 33(2), 149-162. DOI: 10.1080/0305724042000215203

This author compares Noddings notion of care with that of Carol Gilligan as an invitation to engage with visions for care as an educational practice.

Bergmark, U. (2019). Rethinking researcher–teacher roles and relationships in educational action research through the use of Nel Noddings’ ethics of care. Educational Action Research. https://doi.org/10.1080/09650792.2019.1567367

This examination of Noddings’ ethics of care framework is focused on action research and the relationship between researcher-teacher in education.

Decoste, J., & Boyd, D. (2009). An “Ideal” home for care: Nel Noddings, Thomas Hill Green, and an ontological support for a phenomenology of care. Interchange, 40(3), 309–334.

Brings forward terms such as melioristic and open in relation to the ontology of Thomas Green Hill and the pragmatism of Nel Noddings’ ethics of care.

Smeyers, P. (1999). “Care” and wider ethical issues. Journal of Philosophy of Education, 33(2), 233–251.This author explores Noddings work from ….