learning focused relationships & ako

We had an interesting conversation in our staff meeting this morning. There was a small presentation where the focus was on 'learning-focused relationships'. An aspect that was picked up on in discussions was how all interactions needed to center around the learning and the point you don't necessarily need to care about your students on a personal level to have learning focused relationship (source: clarity in the classroom).

A member of staff pointed out that this was in contrast with concepts like ako which look at the whole learner.

While I can see that good teaching and learning isn't necessarily permissive, from my perspective it is totally essential that I know my learners and what makes them tick. For some learners, it has been the key to unlocking any kind of engagement in learning, and in fact, it was the turning point for the student showing positive behavior in my classroom.

Also from a pedagogical point of view, my visual art classes learning operates as a form of inquiry. To be able to support my students' individual lines of inquiry well, it is really important for me to know the students, how they tick and what their passions are.

I wonder if learning-focused-relationships is a eurocentric concept and whether it is the best lens for support diverse akonga?