ABSTRACT

This article explores the connection between teachers, diary-writing and self-reflection in both historical and contemporary settings. It uses the insights of one pilot engagement project with present-day teachers, ‘Reimagining the Diary’ (2018–19), to explore the longue durée history of reflective writing within the teaching profession and to highlight the current problems facing teachers and educationalists looking to use self-reflection as a tool for improving ‘well-being’. This article is deliberately interdisciplinary and problem-focused, using insights from historical studies, law, medicine and education to explore the current teacher-retention crisis in the UK and the relevance of life-writing and reflection to it. It suggests that, whilst more research is necessary, engaging professionals with the form of the diary can itself be beneficial, as can using creative, context-specific forms of life-writing. In this way, this article uses the changing relationship between teacher and diary to explore wider shifts in self-reflective practice and selfhood.

摘要

本文探讨了历史和当代环境中教师、日记写作和自我反思之间的联系。它利用与当今教师的一个试点参与项目“重新想象日记”（2018-19）的见解来探索长期教师行业反思写作的历史，并强调教师和教育工作者当前面临的问题，他们希望将自我反思作为改善“幸福感”的工具。本文有意跨学科和以问题为中心，利用历史研究、法律、医学和教育的见解来探讨英国当前的教师留任危机以及生活写作和反思的相关性。它表明，虽然有必要进行更多研究，但以日记的形式让专业人士参与其中本身是有益的，就像使用创造性的、特定于上下文的生活写作形式一样。通过这种方式，本文利用教师与日记之间不断变化的关系来探索自我反思实践和自我的更广泛转变。