Abstract
This article considers the experience of walking the 850-km Camino del Norte to Santiago de Compostela in Spain as a metaphor for an inner camino: an inner way of developing resilience. Suggestions are proposed about what this might mean for initial teacher education and student teachers themselves. Using an autoethnographic methodology, self-observations, alongside the author’s perceptions of the different approaches to individual coping observed in other travellers, are reviewed in stories and then examined through forms and habits of mind. After further personal reflective analysis, themes are revealed from the original observations. The discussion suggests possible innovations for teacher education, which emerged from the themes that may resonate for the reader. This autoethnographic journey provided an opportunity to rethink co-constructed learning, the use of guide posts for new innovations, and the importance of paring back to key essentials in teaching practice and in our personal and professional lives.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
Literally 'good way' both physically and spiritually as the peregrino continues the journey. Words exchanged by peregrinos as they say good bye to each other but also called out by locals to peregrinos as they pass.
References
Bernay, R. S. (2014). Mindfulness and the beginning teacher. Australian Journal of Teacher Education. 39(7)
Bochner, A. P. (2000). Criteria against ourselves. Qualitative Inquiry, 6(2), 266–272. https://doi.org/10.1177/10778004000600209.
Boyce B (2007) Please help me learn who I am. Shambala Sun 15(3), 66–73, 119.
Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa.
Brown, K. W., Ryan, R. M., & Creswell, J. D. (2007). Mindfulness: Theoretical foundations and evidence for its salutory effects. Psychological Inquiry, 18(4), 211–237. https://doi.org/10.1080/10478400701598298.
Burr, V. (2015). Social constructionism. Retrieved October 31, 2017, from https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.aut.ac.nz/lib/aut/detail.action?docID=2011179.
Chatham-Carpenter, A. (2010). “Do thyself no harm”: Protecting ourselves as autoethnographers. Journal of Research Practice, 6(1), Article M1. Retrieved from http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/213/183 https://doi.org/10.1080/14639947.2014.935264.
Compson, J. (2014). Meditation, trauma and suffering in silence: raising questions about how meditation is taught and practiced in western contexts in the light of a contemporary trauma resilience model. Contemporary Buddhist, 14(2), 274–297. https://doi.org/10.1080/14639947.2014.935264.
Costa, A., & Kallick, B. (n.d.). Describing 16 habits of mind. Retrieved March 7, 2019, from https://habitsofmind.org/sites/default/files/16HOM2.pdf.
Cromby, J., & Nightingale, D. J. (1999). What’s wrong with social constructionism? In D. J. Nightingale & J. Cromby (Eds.), Social constructionist psychology: A critical analysis of theory and practice (pp. 1–19). Buckingham: Open University.
Denzin, N. K. (2000). The practices and politics of interpretation. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (2nd ed., pp. 1–19). Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Digiprove (nd) History of el Camino de Santiago. Retrieved November 1, 2017, from https://www.caminosantiagodecompostela.com/el-camino-de-santiago-history/.
Dobkin, P., Irving, J., & Amar, S. (2012). For whom may participation in a mindfulness-based stress reduction program be contraindicated? Mindfulness, 3(1), 44–50. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-011-0079-9.
Duchesne, S., McMaugh, A., Bochner, S., & Krause, K.-L. (2013). Educational psychology for learning and teaching (4th ed.). Melbourne: Cengage Learning.
Dyson, M. (2007). My story in a profession of stories: Autoethnography—an empowering methodology for educators. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 32(1), 36–48. https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte2007v32n1.3.
El camino correos forum (2017) Andrew Larking, the pilgrim number 300, 000. Retrieved January 8, 2018, from http://www.elcaminoconcorreos.com/en/articulo.php?i=andrew%20larkin.
Ellis, C., Adams, T., & Bochner, A. (2011). Auto-ethnography: An overview. Qualitative Social Research 12(1). Retrieved November 1, 2017, from http://www.qualitative-research.net/index.php/fqs/index.
Ellis, C., & Bochner, A. P. (2000). Autoethnography, personal narrative, reflexivity: Researcher as Subject. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Ende, M. (1973/2009). Momo. New York: Doubleday and Company. Translated by Maxwell Brownjohn.
Estevao, P., Calado, A., & Capucha, L. (2017). Resilience: Moving from a ‘heroic’ notion to a sociological concept. Sociologia, Problemas e Pratica, 85, 9–25. https://doi.org/10.7458/SPP20178510115.
Gaarder, J. (1995). Sophie’s world. New York: Berkley Books. Translated by Paulette Moller.
Garvey Berger, J. (2011). Changing on the job: Developing leaders for a complex world. Stanford: Stanford University Press.
Garvey Berger, J., & Johnston, K. (2015). Simple habits for complex times: Powerful practices for leaders. Stanford: Stanford Business Books.
Gilbert, P. (2009). The compassionate mind: A new approach to life’s challenges. London: Constable.
Gold, E., Smith, A., Hopper, I., Herne, D., Tansey, G., & Hulland, C. (2010). Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) for primary school teachers. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 19(2), 184–189. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-009-9344-0.
Gray, R. E. (2003). Performing on and off stage: The place(s) of performance in arts-based approaches to qualitative inquiry. Qualitative Inquiry, 9(2), 254–267. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800402250957.
Gu, Q., & Day, D. (2007). Teachers resilience: A necessary condition for effectiveness. Teaching and Teacher Education 23(8):1302–1316
Hattie, J. (2009). Visible learning: A synthesis of over 800 meta-analyses related to achievement. New York: Routledge.
Hayler, M. (2011). Autoethnography, self-narrative and teacher education. Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Sense Publishers.
Higgins, J., & Eden, R. (2017) Cogenerated understandings of mindfulness-based breathing in elementary mathematics classrooms. Retrieved January 10, 2019, from https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.2017.1396438.
Humphreys, M. (2005). Getting personal: Reflexivity and autoethnographic vignettes. Qualitative Inquiry, 11(6), 840–860. https://doi.org/10.1177/107800404269425.
Hwang, Y.-S., Bartlett, B., Greben, M., & Hand, K. (2017). A systematic review of mindfulness interventions for in-service teachers: A tool to enhance teacher wellbeing and performance. Teaching and Teacher Education. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2017.01.015.
Hyland, T. (2010). Mindfulness, adult learning and therapeutic education: Integrating the cognitive and affective domains of learning. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 29(5), 517–532. https://doi.org/10.1080/02601370.2010.512792.
Jennings, P. A. (2015). Mindfulness for teachers: Simple skills for peace and productivity in the classroom. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company.
Jennings, P. A., Snowberg, K. E., Coccia, M. A., & Greenberg, M. T. (2011). Improving classroom learning environments with CARE: Results of two pilot studies. Journal of Classroom Interaction, 46(1), 37–48.
Kabat-Zinn, J. (2005). Coming to our senses: Healing ourselves and the world through mindfulness. New York: Hyperion Press.
Kabat-Zinn, J. (2015). Mindfulness has huge health potential- but mindfulness is no panacea. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/oct/20/mindfulness-mental-health-potential-benefits-uk//www.tandfonline.com.ezproxy.aut.ac.nz/doi/full/10.1080/13636820.2015.1022871.
Killen, R. (2013). Effective teaching strategies: Lesson from research and practice (6th ed.). Melbourne: Cengage Learning.
Kornfeld, J. (2009). The wise heart: A guide to the universal teachings of Buddhist psychology. New York: Bantam Books.
Langer, E. J. (1989). Mindfulness. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
Langer, E. J. (1997). The power of mindful learning. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley.
Legge, M. F. (2014). Autoethnography and teacher education: Snapshot stories of cultural encounter. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 39(5), 117–134. https://doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2014v39n5.1.
Ludwig, D. S., & Kabat-Zinn, J. (2008). Mindfulness in medicine. Journal of the American Medical Association, 300(11), 1350–1352. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.300.11.1350.
Māori Language Commission. (nd). Whakataukī -Proverbs. Retrieved January 9, 2018, from http://www.tetaurawhiri.govt.nz/te-reo-maori/tikanga-maori/whakatauki-en-nz/.
Maydell, E. (2010). Methodological and analytical dilemmas in autoethnographic research. Journal of Research Practice 6(1). Retrieved October 31, 2017, from https://www.lljrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/223/190.
Mizzi, R. (2010). Unraveling researcher subjectivity through multivocality in autoethnography. Journal of Research Practice 6(1), Article M3. Retrieved January 16, 2019, from http://jrp.icaap.org/index.php/jrp/article/view/201/185.
Pelias, R. D. (2003). The academic tourist: A critical ethnography. Qualitative Inquiry, 9(3), 369–373. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800403009003003.
Pelias, R. J. (2007). Jarheads, girly men and the pleasures of violence. Qualitative Inquiry, 13(7), 945–959. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800407304413.
Perazzoli, L., & Whitson, D. (2015). The northern caminos: Norte, primitive and inglés. Milnthorpe, UK: Cicerone.
Pilgrimage Traveler. (nd). Retrieved June 30, 2017, from www.pilgrimagetraveler.com.
Poulin, P. A., Mackenzie, C. S., Soloway, G., & Karayolas, E. (2008). Mindfulness training as an evidenced-based approach to reducing stress and promoting well-being among human services professionals. International Journal of Health Promotion & Education, 46(2), 72–80. https://doi.org/10.1080/14635240.2008.10708132.
Purser, R., & Loy, D. (2013). Beyond McMindfulness. Huffington Post, July 1. Accessed October 7, from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/ron-purser/beyond-mcmindfulness_b_3519289.html.
Rothman, N. (1976). Beyond Eurasia: Technology in Africa, the Americas, and Oceania in pre-modern times. Citizens Newsletter, 76, 108–116.
Rufin, J.-C. (2013/2015). The Santiago pilgrimage: Walking the immortal way. London: Maclehose Press. Translated by Martina Dervis and Malcolm Imrie.
Saldana, J. (2003). Dramatising data: A primer. Qualitative Inquiry, 9(2), 218–236. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800402250932.
Slagter, H., Lutz, A., Greischar, L. L., Francis, A. D., Nieuwenhuis, S., Davis, J. M., et al. (2007). Mental training affects distribution of limited brain resources. PLoS Biology, 5(6), 1228–1235. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.0050138.
Treleavan, D. (2010). Meditation, trauma and contemplative dissociation. Somatics, 16(2): 20-22. Retrieved January 16, 2019, from https://www.academia.edu/426785/Meditation_Trauma_and_Contemplative_Dissociation.
Van Dam, N. T., van Vugt, M. K., Vago, D., et al. (2018). Mind the hype: A critical evaluation and prescriptive agenda for research on mindfulness and meditation. Perspectives on Pschological Science, 13(10), 36–61. https://doi.org/10.1177/174569161617709589.
Walsh, Z. (2016). A meta-critique of mindfulness critiques: From McMindfulness to critical mindfulness. In R. E. Purser et al. (Eds.), Handbook of mindfulness (pp. 153–166). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-44019-4_11.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bernay, R. Following the Inner Camino: An Autoethnographic Study. NZ J Educ Stud 54, 157–178 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40841-019-00134-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40841-019-00134-3