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A collective of educators and students engages in immersive art- and design-driven practice to reimagine higher-education and primary-school teaching and learning at, and beyond, the University of Teacher Education. 

Rooted in curiosity, care and attentiveness to diverse histories and voices, the collective offers open-ended impulses that anyone can adapt, question or extend across a growing constellation of educational hubs.

© 2025 Emerging Space Collective (CC BY‑NC 4.0)

Assignment: Temporal Teacher Self-Dialogue


Overview:

This reflective exercise guides future educators through three stages of their teaching identity, childhood aspirations, early-career hopes, and seasoned expertise, by “interviewing” yourself across time.

  1. Phase 1 – Meet Your Inner Child (10 min):
    Imagine yourself at age 8, dreaming of becoming a teacher. Choose 5 prompts from Set 1 (below) that feel most resonant, and “ask” your child-self those questions in writing or sketching. Briefly note your imagined responses.

  2. Phase 2 – Early-Career Reflection (10 min):
    Now picture yourself at the start of your teaching journey. Select another 5 prompts from Set 1 and explore how your motivations, challenges, and values have evolved since childhood.

  3. Phase 3 – Expert Perspective (10 min):
    Envision your wise, future self at least 20 years into teaching. Again choose 5 prompts from Set 1 and record what your expert-self would advise your younger stages.

  4. Across-Time Insights (10 min):
    Finally, use Set 2 (questions A–E) to elicit cross-stage wisdom, e.g., “Which early-career fears did I outgrow?” or “What core teaching passion remains unchanged?” Pose 3 lettered prompts and jot the collective insights.

Set 1 (select any 5):
  • What first made you love learning?
  • How did you imagine your classroom as a child?
  • Which challenge at the start felt most daunting?
  • What early success gave you confidence?
  • Which student need did you yearn to meet?
  • How have your teaching values shifted over time?

Set 2 (choose any 3):
  • Which childhood hope still guides me? 
  • What blind spots did early-career me overlook? 
  • Which expert habit most strengthens student trust? 
  • Where should I focus more/less to honour diverse learners?
  • If I could whisper one teaching truth across time, what would it be?

Feel free to mix and match or add your own lettered prompts to tailor the exercise to your context.