Wisdom in the Way We Walk: Pedagogies of Care

Stonehenge, an example of what we may consider an important cultural artifact. What about the context, the meaning, the purpose, the protocols, the processes? Image: Pixabay.

Wisdom is not in cultural things, but in cultural processes and protocols.

With this quote (Yunkaporta, T., 2023, Right Story, Wrong Story: Adventures in Indigenous Thinking, p. 201), I would like to invite us into a profound reorientation of how we think about interaction, relationality, and care, as well as their role in teaching. In a world often obsessed with finalised outputs (what we think we know, what we produce, what we create, what we consume, for example different forms of knowledge, art, music, stories, texts, and so on), Yunkaporta reminds us that true wisdom lies not in the artifacts of culture, but in the living systems of relationship and behaviour that sustain the situated co-creation of what could be called 'culture'.

As a teacher, I find this insightful when thinking about pedagogies of care and kindness (c.f. Noddings 1982; 1992; 2003; Denial 2024). They are not merely strategies or frameworks to be implemented; they are ways of being. They emerge from the protocols we enact daily: How we listen, how we respond, how we hold space for others. They are embedded in the processes of reciprocity, humility, and respect that shape our interactions with students, colleagues, and communities.

In this blog, I would like to explore what it means to consider pedagogical care as an embedded cultural process rather than an extra set of guidelines to follow. What does kindness look like when it is not an added guideline to follow, but an embedded protocol? How do we design learning environments that honour relational wisdom rather than mere transactions? And how might Indigenous ways of knowing, as articulated by Yunkaporta (c.f. Sand Talk) and so many others, help us in the reimagining of education as a practice of collective care, of collective well-being?

The fabric of meaningful education

To understand the pedagogical implications of Tyson Yunkaporta’s insight, we must first explore the distinction he draws between cultural things and cultural processes and protocols. In Euro-centric educational paradigms, culture is often treated as a static object: Something to be studied, preserved, or represented. This objectification can lead to a focus on outcomes over relationships.

In contrast, Indigenous knowledge systems, such as those Yunkaporta draws from, emphasise relationality. Knowledge is not a commodity but a living practice, embedded in the protocols of how people relate to each other, to land, and to the more-than-human world. These protocols are not written rules but embodied ways of being: listening deeply, showing respect, sharing responsibility, and maintaining balance in everything we do.

This relational ontology invites pedagogy back to its roots. It invites us to see teaching and learning as acts of care, grounded in reciprocity and responsiveness. Pedagogies of care and kindness, then, are not add-ons or supplements to “real” instruction. They are the very fabric of meaningful education.

Yunkaporta’s work also resonates with the concept of “cultural interface”, where Indigenous and Euro-centric systems meet. At this interface, educators can engage in two-way learning, recognising that wisdom arises not from assimilating one system into another, but from respectfully navigating the synergies between them. This requires humility, openness, and a commitment to protocols that honour difference without domination.

In this light, pedagogies of care become not just ethical choices but epistemological commitments. They ask us to reimagine education as a space where knowledge is co-created through respectful interaction, where kindness is a protocol for sustaining community, and where wisdom is found not in what we teach, but in how we teach, and how we live.

Tentative practical examples

In my own teaching practice, I’ve found that pedagogies of care and kindness are most powerful when they emerge from shared processes rather than imposed structures. For example, due to the inevitable presence of AI in language learning, this autumn semester I will be inviting students to experiment with me on the use of an agent, Academic English Writing Support, that I created on M365 Copilot. We will be testing and co-creating prompts, reflecting on the feedback provided by the Writing Support bot, as well as analysing the usefulness of the AI tool together. I am hoping this will shift the focus to collaborative inquiry, where care is enacted through open dialogue and mutual respect.

Another example comes from a recent seminar where I spoke about the critical and multifaceted use of AI in language education. Rather than presenting a polished argument, I chose to model vulnerability, sharing my own uncertainties and inviting colleagues to do the same. This protocol of openness creates a space where kindness is not just encouraged but structurally supported. Pedagogies of care are not about adding a sentimental extra to your teaching; they are about creating a space for learning through intentional behaviour.

I’ve also noticed that when students are invited to participate in the discussion on how we establish a safe space for one another, the learning environment becomes more inclusive and responsive. This includes reaching shared agreement on so called “house rules”, such as establishing confidentiality, and discussing how peer feedback should be given or how small group discussions or collaboration should be honoured. These protocols, though simple, carry deep wisdom. They teach us that kindness is not about being nice; it’s about empathy, about being attuned to others and acting accordingly.

In each of these examples, the emphasis is on how we do things, not just what we do. This is the heart of Yunkaporta’s insight: Wisdom lives in the protocols we enact, the processes we uphold, and the relationships we nurture.

Invitation

As educators, we are constantly navigating the tension between structure and spontaneity, between curriculum and community. Yunkaporta’s reminder that wisdom lives in cultural processes and protocols, not in artifacts, offers us a way to reimagine our pedagogical commitments. It invites us to ask not just what we teach, but how we interact in the world and with the world.

Pedagogies of care and kindness are not just strategies to be deployed; they are about relationships to be nurtured. They ask us to listen more deeply, to act more intentionally, and to honour the wisdom embedded in everyday interactions. Whether we are designing a course, facilitating or participating in a meeting, or responding to a student’s email, we are always participating through a chosen protocol – one that can either reinforce well-being or erode it. Which will we choose?

So I invite us all to reflect:

• What are the protocols we uphold in our teaching and interaction?
• What processes shape the way we care for our students, our colleagues, and ourselves?
• How might we, together, cultivate a pedagogy that promotes well-being?