Nel Noddings Revisit Manifesto My Educational Philosophy

Nel Noddings

Revisit manifesto

My educational philosophy and Nel Noddings

The concept of diversity is critical to my philosophy of teaching. I have always believed in the need to expand the curriculum to include more voices from other areas of the world and different perspectives, particularly given the changing demographics of America. However, I had never thought that this cornerstone of my manifesto was necessarily related to 'caring.' I cared about my students personally, and wanted them to succeed. But reading the writings of Nel Noddings underlined how showing respect to students and infusing them with a sense that their history matters is a critical component of honoring students' dignity, as well as enhancing their education. According to Noddings: "Receptive attention is an essential characteristic of a caring encounter. The carer is open to what the cared-for is saying and might be experiencing and is able to reflect upon it" (Smith 2004). The ethics of multiculturalism is founded in many ways upon 'caring.'

As a professional educator, I have perhaps been somewhat distrustful of the notion of 'caring' as important, because there is a need for me to have professional distance from my students as well as to engage them in learning. But showing caring, receptive attention to the needs of students is vitally necessary when a teacher cannot fully understand the experiences, language, and culture of every pupil. The teacher must learn from the student as well as vice versa. Also, children will not volunteer their ideas and experiences if they do not feel that the teacher is truly listening. I have always believed that history and English in particular have been taught from Eurocentric perspectives, but bringing that mindset that the teacher is always right to teaching even nonwestern literatures and cultures is not necessarily an improvement over the past.

A sense of 'caring for' others, which is more involved than merely 'caring about' others, has a greater potential to change society, given that people are more likely to respond to a sense of involved and personal attention in their welfare. Unfortunately, this immediacy is not always possible, as class sizes grow larger and larger, but when the curriculum reflects a mosaic of cultures, rather than demands students hide themselves in melting pot, students can still gain a sense of a personalized learning experience. "Nel Noddings sees education (in its widest sense) as being central to the cultivation of caring in society" (Smith 2004). When individuals feel cared about as children, they are more likely to feel as if they have a stake in maintaining the social order as adults. It is not enough to prepare students intellectually for the future: they must feel emotionally invested in it as well. Part of the motivation to learn, Noddings believes, is the sense that children feel they are participating in something meaningful.

This sense of meaning, I believe, is conveyed in a holistic curriculum which honors many children's background and reflects the diversity of America. Teachers must show consideration for every child's views and needs outside of the classroom in a manner which is reflected in both the classroom's materials and the teacher's attitude. Noddings was also a strong believer in the importance of the home in the child's education. Including parents in school activities helps teachers better understand their students and also ensures that lessons are reinforced outside as well as inside the school.