Abstract:

The way wellbeing is commonly framed can sometimes unintentionally limit the very thing it aims to enhance. Teachers are often encouraged to develop individual solutions to structural problems and to focus on resilience when resistance is needed. Wellbeing initiatives often place the burden of responsibility on the individual to find strategies and make lifestyle changes, which can result in one more way busy professionals feel they have failed. To thrive in the current educational landscape, a focus on ‘being well’ by ‘doing well’ may be more impactful.

This research builds on a longitudinal study entitled Practising Fiercely – Professional Fulfilment through Stance, Supports and Stamina that explored the professional identity and wellbeing of Resource Teachers integrating part-time study with full-time practice. The researcher worked alongside 14 Resource Teachers, using a collaborative and participatory approach, to jointly explore the ways they co-crafted professional practice that felt true, effective and fulfilling. The group co-designed a framework for use within tertiary education and with educators more widely.

For the past four years, this framework has been a cornerstone of the Specialist Teaching Programme in which it was co-designed. Practising Fiercely is a mantra of the programme and is included explicitly in module content, activities and assessments, and implicitly in the programme-wide approach to supporting student wellbeing. Each year, 400 resource teachers engage with the framework, including developing and refining their own stance and evidencing their enacted stance in practice.

This presentation will overview the original framework, data collected each year on its perceived value and application, and how it has fortified a workforce ‘fighting the good fight’ for inclusive and equitable education.

Keywords:

Professional Identity, Wellbeing, Postgraduate Professional Programmes.