Self-Care as Reflective Practice: Narrative Workshops in Initial Teacher Education for Secondary Schools

Abstract

The paper states that initial teacher education for secondary schools can benefit from a narrative-reflective approach grounded in constructing a ‘professional self-project’ integrating personal and professional dimensions. Drawing on the epistemological foundations of the narrative paradigm and professional reflexivity, the article compares the Italian regulatory framework (DPCM 60 CFU) with the Spanish Máster en Formación del Profesorado model, and proposes a narrative workshop structured around autobiographical writing, fictional simulation, and design of narrative micro-units, conceived as a scalable device for Italian qualifying pathways transferable to Master’s programs, foregounding self-care as central for a meaningful practice.