Book chapter
Authoring a life: Writing ourselves in/out of our work in education
Meanings and Motivation in Education Research, pp.50-71
Routledge
2015
Abstract
The stories of our lives are important. They are a fundamental way in which we know ourselves and are known by others. However, in educational worlds our stories are often pushed to one side, repressed or denied. This chapter seeks to privilege accounts of personal and educational experiences to productively challenge potentially deadening educational discourses. It draws on personal narratives from several contexts in my educational and life history. Aspects of identity, life-history, and personal and professional stories are examined through a process of self-study where creative artefacts made and collected over time (stories, poems, photos and paintings) are revisited, evoking memories, questions and contemplation. These artefacts act as objects to think with and as catalysts for ongoing personal and professional inquiry. They are heavy in emotion and invite authentic, honest connection with experiences. Being open to our own and others' stories and meaning-making efforts can help us be better educators and researchers. In being open we can support the creation of genuine spaces and opportunities for resonance and connection, for recognition of the complexity and dimensionality of experiences, and for valuing the realities and interconnectedness of educational/personal/public lives.
Details
- Title
- Authoring a life: Writing ourselves in/out of our work in education
- Authors
- Alison L Black (Author)
- Contributors
- M Baguley (Editor)Y Findlay (Editor)M Kerby (Editor)
- Publication details
- Meanings and Motivation in Education Research, pp.50-71
- Publisher
- Routledge
- Date published
- 2015
- ISBN
- 9781138810280
- Organisation Unit
- School of Education - Legacy; Indigenous and Transcultural Research Centre; School of Education and Tertiary Access; University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99449045002621
- Output Type
- Book chapter
Metrics
28 File views/ downloads
1232 Record Views