Care: An Essential Practice
Care is an aspect of my philosophy that I believe is essential for effective practice. Care permeates all aspects of a classroom: the environment, atmosphere, student thinking and interactions. A classroom that is effective in engaging diverse learners and inviting inquiry and exploration requires all aspects of care as it’s foundation. My own reading into the topic has lead me to associate a caring environment with the following attributes:
- Democratic—equalized power between students and the teacher, open questioning and invitation to problematize
- Meaningful—to care about a subject is to give it meaning. An environment that is meaningful encourages the use of values and ethics in dialogue
- Respectful–authentic dialogue requires mutual trust between the students and teacher and the deliberation of all contributions
- Global-minded—the experience of being cared for in the classroom environment extends outward as the mind shifts from the individual to the world
- Inclusive—students share in the thinking process and deliberate openly and constructively
- Reasonable—students are provided with reasons and explanations instead of rules and prohibitions, and are given the opportunity to justify their own behaviors through class or individual dialogues
- Diverse— recognition and encouragement of multiple viewpoints
References:
Cam, P.(2014). Commentary on ‘fact, value and philosophy education’. Journal of Philosophy in Schools, 1(1), 58-67.
Haynes, J. & Murris, K. (2012). Picturebooks, Pedagogy and Philosophy. Routledge:UK.
Lipman, M. (2002). Thinking In Education. Cambridge University Press: UK.
Lipman, M. (2011). Philosophy for children:some assumptions and implications. Ethics in Progress Quarterly, 2(1). Retrieved from http://site.ebrary.com/id/1007356 ?ppg=11.
Turgeon, W. (2004). Multiculturalism: politics of difference, education and philosophy for children. Analytic Teaching, 24(2), 96-109.