Relational pedagogies involve thinking about relationships, connections and care as core aspects of our work in higher education.
Thinking about connections is not a new idea. There is a long history of feminist scholarship exploring ethics of care in learning and teaching, as well as many other areas of insightful scholarship that explores relationships in education. But what is new are the pressures upon forging connections in universities.
For example, there is a plentiful literature on the difficulties of academic life where institutions have been described as environments that are both uncaring and unhealthy. Recent moves towards a marketised higher education system underpinned by individualism, personalisation, competition and speed pose a threat to the time and space needed to foster meaningful relationships. Teachers often ask, how can I possibly connect with my students when I have to teach a class of over three hundred? Or, how much should I care for students who are supposed to be independent learners? Or – as a teacher – who cares for me?
