The criticality of teacher educator wellbeing: Reflecting through arts-based methods

Teacher educators face many challenges related to workload and government-mandated reforms in Initial Teacher Education programs. Evidence suggests that COVID-19 has exacerbated these challenges as universities must become more cost-effective and improve research outcomes and impact, often resulting in heavier workloads. While these challenges may be faced in other disciplines, teacher educator wellbeing, stress and burnout is an under-researched field, and little is known about if and how teacher educators maintain their wellbeing during times of uncertainty. This collaborative autoethnographic study applied an arts-based research method to explore the wellbeing challenges faced by four Australian teacher educators through the lens of the PERMA wellbeing framework. Data was collected through conversations, written reflections and field texts. While tensions often emerged, opportunities for success and positive changes also became known. The importance of agency and self-determination of teacher educator wellbeing became an important foundation for continuation in teacher education.