Abstract:

Training courses in which students understood academic knowledge and at the same time identified their perceptions through reflective, personal and group dialogue contributed to a dynamic formulation process that emphasized creativity, commitment, patience, sensitivity and empathy as part of their personal professional identity growth (Korthagen, 2004; Leavy, McSorley &Bote, 2007).

This study describes processes in formulating the professional identity of female students in a special education program in an interdisciplinary integrative seminar. The seminar dealt with emotional-educational aspects and focused on the continuum between mental wellbeing and prevention of suicidal intention. The study was conducted as part of a special education seminar including 16 senior female students. The seminar was conducted on the design research model and on an interdisciplinary approach that included three areas: special education, educational counseling, and educational and clinical psychology. The main goal was to examine the educator’s unique identity as supporting the mental well-being of learners in the pedagogical space.

Analysis of data of this qualitative research was based on reflective writing throughout the seminar, documentation of consultation conversations, photographs of the initiatives, personal conversations and a final paper that retrospectively related to the learning process in the course. The findings of the study show the development of a complex professional identity that relates to the educator as a promoter of mental well-being of students in the educational context.

The development of professional identity can be seen in three levels:
(1) the level of the teacher as an individual
(2) the teacher as part of a task force; and
(3) the teacher as part of a comprehensive team.

At each of the levels, we noticed unique contributions to each of them and joint donations. In addition, connections between the various levels in developing professional identity and mutual fertilization was demonstrated.

This study revealed that learning a course:
(1) dealing with emotional aspects that strengthens an educational emotional language,
(2) adopting a “research design” to initiate a solution to an encounter emotional pedagogical challenge,
(3) implementing innovative technological methods,
(4) establishing a significant learning group process enables the student to formulate a deeper understanding of teachers’ professional identity.

The complex professional identity, as it emerged from the findings, allowed a better understanding of who is the teacher who promotes mental wellbeing among learners, what are the identity components of this educator and how this identity develops in the school space both independently (as a researcher) and in the space of a small team and a larger community of teachers.

References:
[1] Korthagen, F. A. J. (2004). In search of the essence of a good teacher: Towards a more holistic approach in teacher education. Journal of Teaching and Teacher Education, 20(1), 77--97.
[2] Leavy, A., McSorley, F., & Bote, L. (2007). An examination of what metaphor construction reveals about the evolution of preservice teachers’ beliefs about teaching and learning. Teaching and Teacher Education, 23(7), 1217--1233.

Keywords:

Interdisciplinary learning spaces, teachers’ professional identity, students’ well-being.