Writing as a Method for the Self-Study of Practice

Julian Kitchen has been involved in teacher education scholarship for 20 years. He has published extensively in teacher education, including several articles in Studying Teacher Education, chapters in Springer and Sense volumes, and chapters in International Handbook of Teacher Education. the Handbook of Social Interventions in Education, and the Handbook of Canadian Teacher Education Research: Initial Teacher Education (CATE). Professor Kitchen is the lead editor of the International Handbook of Self-Study of Teaching and Teacher Education Practices, Second Edition (Springer). Also, he is editor of Narrative Inquiries into Curriculum-making in Teacher Education, Canadian Perspectives on the Self-Study of Teacher Education Practices, Self-Study and Diversity II: Inclusive Teacher Education for a Changing World, and Mindful and Relational Approaches to Social Justice Equity and Diversity in Teacher Education. He is also the author of Relational Teacher Education and Professionalism, Lawand the Ontario Educator (now in 2nd edition). He is currently co-editor of the journal Studying Teacher Education.

This book focuses on the writing process in the self-study of teaching and teacher education practices. It addresses writing as an area in which teacher educators can develop their skills and represents how to write in ways that are compatible with self-study's orientations towards the inquiry, both personal and on practice.

The book examines effective self-study writing with chapters written by experienced self-study practitioners. In addition to considering elements of writing as a method for the self-study of practice, it delves into the cognitive processes of real writers making explicit their writing practices. Practical suggestions are connected to the lived experiences of self-study practitioners making sense of their field through the process of writing. This book will be of interest to doctoral and novice self-study writers, and experienced authors seeking to develop their practice. It demonstrates that writing as a method of inquiry in self-study and beyond can be learned, modeled and taught.

Part 1: Self Study as a Cognitive Process.- Chapter 1. From Textile to Tapestry: Writing as a Way of Knowing in Self-Study.- Chapter 2. Pen Pals with Purpose: Letter Writing as Collaboration in Self-Study.- Chapter 3. Mentoring a Doctoral Student Writing a Self-Study Dissertation:  Setting the Stage and Lifting the Curtain.- Part 2: Self Study as an Inquiry Method. Chapter 4. Journal Writing as a Self-Study Method: Teacher Educator Professional Learning and Self-Understanding.- Chapter 5. From Informal Correspondence to Polished Manuscripts: Journaling as a Tool for Collaboration and Critical Friendship in Self-Study.- Chapter 6. Allowing the Personal to Drive Our Self-Study: Texting, Emailing, and Facebook Messenging Our Way to Feminist Understanding.- Part 3: Self Study and Artistic Representation.- Chapter 7. Writing Toward Knowing: Crafting Intimate Scholarship.- Chapter 8. Polyvocal Poetic Play with Dialogue: Co-creativity in Self-Study Writing.- Chapter 9. Visuals as Meaning Making.- Part 4: Crafting a Self-Study Texts.- Chapter 10. Writing Our Identities as Teacher Educators and Self-Study Researchers in Two Languages.- Chapter 11. Behind the Words: Insights from a Self-Study Researcher, Writer and Editor.- Chapter 12. Organizing and Writing an Article Reporting a Self-Study of Teacher Education Practices.