Introduction: Why Explore Self in Teaching, Teacher Education, and Practitioner Research

The contemporary world is in constant turmoil, facing ecological crises, corruption, poverty, war, violence, racism, and a myriad other problems. It is also increasingly interdependent, with circumstances, decisions, and actions having impact and implications far beyond their immediate context. Many view education as responsible for addressing the challenges of this tumultuous and interconnected global society in which we live. Yet, there is an incredible lack of clarity around what we ought to be doing in this domain. One thing seems certain though: a book on exploring self can strike some people as outlandish, possibly even escapist. Focusing on self in this day and age can be viewed as flying in the face of troubled times and as an act of solipsistic negation of interconnectedness. One then may be right to ask: how can this possibly be the right time for exploring self? Are there not other, better things we should be doing to expand teaching, teacher education, and practitioner research?