Responding to calls to action addressing equity, diversity and inclusion in Teacher Education, this presentation focuses on two academic leaders as they navigate the intersections of race and gender in their professional contexts. These initiatives focus on how to engage with unsettling and provocative discussions about power and privilege. Developing an open and calm receptivity along with a realistic attitude about long-held opinions, assumptions, and biases towards the self and others can create pathways where transformative practices emerge. Informed by a large-scale research about wellbeing and aligning with program exit surveys, initial results support the creation of spaces where a sense of belonging is nurtured by respectful, responsible, and reciprocal interactions. Capacities of unlearning and re-learning can be fostered in novel ways not just for academic leaders but for instructors, students and staff in teacher education. These findings provide direction for teacher education programs to construct opportunities and possibilities for success across the lifespan of a career.

In this self-study, we draw upon literature related to critical qualitative inquiry and self-study to frame our stances as critical friends. Lincoln and Denzin (1998) identified the “fifth moment for qualitative research” (p.22) as one that is characterized by being present and engaged in activist-oriented inquiry grounded in social criticism and social critique. In relationship to self-study methodologies, Bullough and Pinnegar (2001), citing the “humanistic commitment of the qualitative researcher to study the world” (p. 13), recognize that self-study’s appeal reflects the postmodern academic focus on identity and a Foucault-based recognition of the juxtaposition of power and privilege on self-formation (p. 14). It is with this reference point that we grounded our globalized self-study. Like Lincoln and Denzin’s fifth moment, we took seriously self-study’s aim is to “provoke, challenge, and illuminate rather than conform and settle” (Samaras, Hicks, & Berger, 2004, p. 908).

Research Aim

This self-study examined the emotional labor experienced by two tenure-track faculty, Matt and Rebecca (pseudonyms), during their dossier collection and submission process. As a teacher educator and librarian, respectively, both sought to advance from Assistant to Associate Professor at a regional university in the Midwest USA.

Theoretical Framework

Collaborative self-study involves scholars investigating phenomena together (Pitthouse et al., 2009). Matt and Rebecca, already part of a community of practice, explored their tenure and promotion process through the lens of emotional labor. Facing unclear institutional expectations and high stakes, they aimed to understand their scholarly identities by examining tensions and vulnerabilities.

Methods

This study aligns with LaBoskey’s (2004) aspects of self-study. Data was collected over nine months (January to September 2023). Data included meeting notes, personal reflections, journals, and a final recorded conversation, totaling 33,875 words. Data were analyzed through initial coding and collaboration for confirming or disconfirming evidence (Erickson, 1986).

Findings

Most emotional labor manifested as anxiety in two areas:

External anxiety

This anxiety stemmed from unclear and shifting expectations, with systemic support being vague or nonexistent.

Internal anxiety

This arose from personal concerns about self-worth and scholarly identity, particularly as Matt, new to the area, was research-focused, unlike his teaching-focused colleagues.

Connection to Conference Theme and Strand

This study contributes to scholarship on transitioning into teacher education and developing scholarly identity, highlighting the explicit tensions and anxieties faced. In the post-pandemic era, as tenure and promotion become less secure, traditional academic milestones need re-evaluation. A new social contract may be necessary to improve these processes and experiences.

Leadership

This proposal shares insights from an ongoing collaborative self-study examining deep learning practices in undergraduate teacher education and doctoral educational leadership programs, focusing on integrating self-regulated learning strategies. Our inquiry, conducted by Las Chicas Críticas, a professional collaborative group from multiple southwestern U.S. institutions, investigates our understanding of deep learning, its implementation, and connection to self-regulated learning. Our goal is to improve our future practice (Berry, 2004; Pinnegar et al, 2020) and engage in dialogue with others (Butler & Branyon, 2020).

Our inquiry is guided by the following wonderings:

• How do we conceptualize deep learning in our practices?
• What approaches do we incorporate to promote and support deep learning experiences for our students?
• How can we integrate self-regulated learning approaches to support deep learning?
• How can our insights inform our future practice in preparing teachers and educational leaders for deep learning?

Using a collaborative self-study approach (LaBoskey, 2004), we collect data through course artifacts, student feedback, instructor journals, and reflective discussions. Our analysis involves individual and collective examination of data, using coding techniques (Charmaz, 2006; Saldaña, 2021) to identify points of resonance (Conle, 1997) and dissonance with perceived values and practices (LaBoskey, 2004).

We explore how our understanding aligns with frameworks by Darling-Hammond and Oakes (2019) and Mehta and Fine (2019), emphasizing learning environments that foster deep understanding, critical thinking, and real-world application. We also investigate integrating self-regulated learning strategies (Nilson, 2013; McGuire, 2018).

We anticipate our findings will provide insights into fostering deep learning in teacher education and educational leadership programs, sharing approaches and reflections on our evolved understanding and practices. Our presentation will offer theoretical and practical implications for supporting deep learning in educational programs.

The social context of higher education has shifted dramatically in recent years, influenced by post-pandemic effects, a worsening student mental health crisis, and broader societal changes in well-being (Darroch, 2023; Gannon, 2024; Glazier, 2022; Malesic, 2022). These changes necessitate a new approach to teaching, creating what some perceive as a new social contract between students and faculty (Lausch & Bose, 2023; McMurtrie, 2023; Pettit, 2023; Supiano, 2024).

This self-study aims to answer the research question: “How can we cultivate a curriculum of flourishing and teach from our best selves within this changing social context?” A curriculum of flourishing promotes both student and faculty well-being, drawing from positive psychology (Diener et al., 2009; Ellyatt, 2022; Rehal & van Nieuwerburgh, 2022); equity-centered, trauma-informed pedagogy (Thompson & Carello, 2022; Venet, 2021); contemplative approaches to education and social, emotional, cultural competencies (Barbezat & Bush, 2014; Markowitz & Bouffard, 2020); and related movements such as Slow Professor and Teach from Your Best Self (Berg & Seeber, 2016; Schroder, 2024) and mental performance mindset (Holiday, 2014; Stutz & Michaels, 2023).

Self-study methodology (LaBoskey, 2004) was employed to generate insights. Over three semesters, data were gathered from teaching artifacts such as lesson plans with specific activities to cultivate flourishing, a teacher-researcher journal, and reflective discussions with critical friends. Iterative analysis revealed key trends, such as reframing difficulty as an opportunity for growth and deliberately cultivating elements of flourishing reported in the literature, benefiting the well-being of both students and faculty.

Findings indicate that a curriculum of flourishing fosters resilience, adaptability, and a stronger sense of purpose in both students and educators. This presentation will share insights into this evolving framework, offering practical strategies to help faculty respond to the ongoing changes in higher education.

This research report aims to investigate how (auto)biographical narratives have impacted the perspectives and assumptions of a physical education teacher educator, being himself a teacher-researcher, within the scope of undergraduate and master's courses in Brazil. The theoretical-methodological itinerary is qualitatively engendered as a self-study of teacher education practices (S-STEP) based on (auto)biographical narratives. The data set comprises narratives partially published in articles and book chapters from 2010 to 2023, totaling thirteen years. The thematic analysis of the narratives was shared, with the collaboration of two researchers – from Chile and Canada. The evidence points to a complex path in the teaching trajectory with the following themes: the critical friendship between teacher-researchers, (auto)biographical and dilemmatic narrative modes of self, becoming a teacher-researcher permanently, reflective engagement based on action research, collaborative educative processes, knowledge community, transitions from narratives to self-study, promotion of self-education in a network, social (in)justice and ontology of educational practices.

Author Parker Palmer once posed the question, “If we don’t attend to our inner life and value its gifts, how can we be of service to others?” (2017, p. 22). This paper explores how mindfulness and the creative arts act as tools to enhance well-being and sustain high-quality teaching, especially amidst the pressures of high-stakes accountability in the U.S. educational system. As educators strive to cultivate inclusive, equitable learning environments, attending to the inner resilience and creativity of teachers is essential for socially just teaching.

Drawing on Michalec’s (2013) assertion that teachers need inner resilience to prevent burnout, this research explores how mindfulness and creativity cultivate calm, reduce stress, and foster innovative teaching—qualities that support all students, regardless of social or cultural identity. The work is further informed by Stern’s (2004) concept of “present moment awareness” and Caldwell’s (2014) notion of "bodyfulness," which emphasize how mindfulness practices sharpen awareness and creativity, essential for maintaining presence in teaching.

This research uses self-study methodology (LaBoskey, 2004), examining the experiences of two female teacher education professors. Reflective inquiry into their mindfulness and creative practices reveals how these approaches support authentic presence, enhance well-being, and foster creative, equitable teaching. By nurturing their inner lives, the professors find themselves better able to create learning spaces that address the diverse needs of their students.

By linking mindfulness and creativity to teacher well-being and the cultivation of socially just classrooms, this research underscores the critical role of teachers nurturing their inner lives in achieving broader educational goals. In alignment with the conference’s focus on quality teaching, this paper presents a model for fostering both educator and student flourishing in a sustainable, equitable educational landscape.