Who cares for teachers? Operationalizing an ethic of care in a professional development

Abstract

During a study of a teacher-led professional development (PD), we examined a group of educators approaching PD holistically. Guided by systems thinking and ethics of care theory, we explore the question, “How did this professional development operationalize an ethic of care?” Findings include how the teacher-led PD developed a culture of holistic care, the qualities of the developed teacher collective, and the emotions participants shared. This work builds on understandings of care and emotions as critical to professional learning environments, contributing to the field of PD by offering an example of a teacher-led caring PD.