Self-Study As Teaching

Abstract

The title of this chapter reflects an interesting connection between the process of self-study and the process of teaching, the notion that self-study is indeed teaching. With self-study, the teacher – whether in a classroom in a school setting or in a classroom at a university – searches for connections between beliefs and practices with a desire to make positive meaningful change in the learning environment. This chapter makes the case for self-study as teaching. To make this case we use the story of one teacher-researcher, an associate professor of literacy education at a teaching university in the Midwestern United States. She will share her journey into self-study through the spiraling nature of her research focus: self as the evaluator, effective practice process, actions in practice related to beliefs, and the construction of self. Through the story of her journey we will examine the similarities across the cyclical dynamics of research, of reflection, and of teaching.