Putting ourselves in the picture: art workshops in the professional development of university lecturers

摘要

Nurse education is characterised by dissonance, ambiguity and uncertainty. Such a context makes demands on the educator's authenticity or sense of self. This paper reports an attempt to provide a space where dissonance, ambiguity and uncertainty could be held, tolerated and examined and where authenticity could be recovered or developed through the practice of artistry. Three art workshops were offered to eight nurse educators over a period of three months. Each of the participants and the co-facilitator were subsequently interviewed. All welcomed the opportunity to find meaning in their practice and to be listened to in a climate of empathy, acceptance and congruence. They undertook novel activities that allowed for discovery and surprise. They explored their sense of self and coined fresh metaphors to communicate their experiences. The paper argues that there is room for approaches to academic staff development that go against the mainstream. La formation des infirmires se caractrise par la dissonance, l'ambigut et l'incertitude. Un tel contexte exerce des pressions sur l'authenticit et le sens de soi d'un ducateur. Cet article rend compte d'une tentative de fournir un espace o l'authenticit peut tre redcouverte et dveloppe au moyen de la pratique artistique. Trois ateliers artistiques ont t offerts huit formateurs d'infirmires sur une priode de trois mois. Des entretiens ont t effectus auprs de chaque participant et du co-facilitateur. Les rpondants ont tous accueilli l'occasion de trouver un sens leur pratique et de pouvoir tre cout dans un climat d'empathie, d'acceptation et d'harmonie. Ceux-ci on entrepris des activits nouvelles faisant place la dcouverte et la surprise. Ils ont explor leur sens de soi et ont trouv de nouvelles mtaphores pour communiquer leurs expriences. Cet article dfend l'ide que des activits de dveloppement pdagogique qui vont l'encontre de la majorit ont leur place.