In this introduction to the special issue on “A pedagogy of care”, we, the special issue editors, share our own
critical approaches to humanizing teaching with technology in the past few years – going back to before
the pandemic – that led to the special issue. As the world “pivoted online”, and technology was taken for
granted as essential in education, we, along with critical scholars, pushed back against dominant assertions
about how central technology would be in teaching and learning contexts. Identifying the need to address
care in a time when neoliberalism has normalized the involvement of big tech in education, reflecting on the
pandemic, this issue includes seven articles (including this introduction) covering a range of national and
international perspectives on care, including critiques of digital technology; recognition of emotional labor;
connecting/curating resources for teachers; the importance of cultivating a sense of purpose; moving past
binary thinking; and linking care and equity. Across all seven articles, we focus on the act of caring–imagining
education as a process of love, community, and attention.

Published: 2022-05-31