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Walking and talking (part 2) - Exploring the personal in the professional
The previous post from our Carnegie School of Education research cluster outlined the background to our exploration of professional identity through walking interviews or conversations. One of the aims of this method was to build rapport and help facilitate a more natural conversation, allowing the rhythm of walking to help stimulate a rhythm of thinking (Solnit, 2001). This blog post follows the first by exploring some of the themes identified from the analysis of our conversations and considers how they link with existing literature.
As a group of teacher educators from different backgrounds and with a broad range of skills and responsibilities within the School of Education, it felt necessary to discuss our understanding of professional identity which we typically experienced as multi-layered (Bukor, 2015). This was encapsulated in the perception of identity shared by one of the group at our first away day as being like a set of Russian nested dolls.
Even before the walking conversations took place, our initial discussions led us to the viewpoint that professional identity is very much an ongoing, relational process ‘through which we make sense of ourselves, to ourselves and to others’ (Netolicky, 2020, p. 19) and we were interested in exploring the question of ‘who am I at this moment?’ (Beijaard et al, 2004). Formulating some questions to prompt conversation in a semi-structured interview format enabled the group to develop trusting relationships grounded in shared understanding. The questions we discussed together on our walks also aimed to help us explore how our personal experiences, values and beliefs interact with our professional contexts.
Mockler (2011) describes three overlapping domains of personal experience, professional context and the external political environment which are helpful in conceptualising professional identity and the personal and professional dimensions were particularly present in all of our conversations. Different life and educational experiences shaped our journeys into higher education and even our relatively short walks helped us to reflect on how our identities can be viewed as a ‘tangled web of influences and imprints rooted in personal and professional life experiences’ (Bukor, 2015, p.306).
An overarching theme in our discussions was the impact of our values in shaping our identities. One conversation mirrored that of Bukor in noting that our personalities are formed from the intertwining of the different strands of our lives, be they as parent, partner and educator. The values grounded in our personal lives and relationships positively and inextricably influenced our interactions at work with students and colleagues. In one conversation, managing others with compassion was a clear driving principle.
The satisfaction gained from work and the alignment to the social justice mission of the School of Education was also evident in the conversations and this connects with Mockler’s (2011) third domain of the external political environment. Within the conversations, there was a strong focus on ‘making a difference’ as educators with one conversation in particular discussing teaching as vocational, of being “more than a job, the nine-to-five and paying the bills” and another reflecting on the hope that our actions as educators have a lasting impact. Work was inextricably linked with a sense of identity; some spoke explicitly about the deep satisfaction gained from teaching and being in the classroom (their “happy place”). Immense value was experienced in opening up life opportunities for students through the educational experience that we offer.
Within our conversations, there was a clear focus on the value of collaboration and building relationships with colleagues (particularly since the pandemic). Working with others in thoughtful and creative ways which helped our growth as educators was a source of joy in our work identities and ongoing meetings in our cluster group cemented this further, perhaps partly because we were outside our usual working environment. The connections between different aspects of our identities and roles were often rewarding, but at the same time there was an awareness of needing to balance the demands of work with time for rest and family and friends. Having to deal with changing structures and roles was also touched on in some of our conversations and identities are likely to be shaped increasingly by the precarity of the Higher Education sector and the impact of this on both us and our colleagues.
As we look at ways to continue to explore professional identity with both colleagues and students, there is still much to consider about the ongoing process of becoming and being an educator. Key to this is the need to achieve ‘congruence between personal and professional values [and] moral purpose’ (Mockler, 2011, p524) and how this is enacted in the workplace and our wider lives.
References
Beijaard, D., Meijer, P.C. and Verloop, N., (2004). Reconsidering research on teachers’ professional identity. Teaching and teacher education, 20(2), pp.107-128.
Bukor, E. (2015) Exploring teacher identity from a holistic perspective: reconstructing and reconnecting personal and professional selves, Teachers and Teaching, 21(3), pp.305-327. DOI: 10.1080/13540602.2014.953818
Mockler, N. (2011) ‘Beyond ‘what works’: understanding teacher identity as a practical and political tool’, Teachers and Teaching, 17(5), pp. 517–528. doi: 10.1080/13540602.2011.602059.
Netolicky, D., (2020). Transformational Professional Learning. Making a Difference in Schools. Routledge, Oxford.
Solnit R (2001) Wanderlust. A history of walking. Verso, London.
Dr Diana Tremayne
Diana is a lecturer in the School of Education and currently lectures on the Distance Learning PGCE. She has recently completed her doctoral study which explores how online teacher-learning communities support professional learning and teacher agency.
