Tara J. Fenwick

Women composing selves, seeking authenticity: a study of women's development in the workplace

The workplace has received increasing attention in the past decade as an important site of adult learning and development. Responses in the form of educational programmes, organizational structures and leadership to promote ‘continuous learning’, and a new focus on workplace teaching have proliferated. But our understanding of the activities and processes of workplace learning remain vague, particularly in the case of women, for whom experiences of learning in work are entwined with issues of gender bias, relationships, family, power, and identity. This article describes a study examining the workplace learning experiences of 17 women, using oral history methods. The study found that central to these experiences was womens exploration and expression of self. Themes discussed in the article include recognizing and naming self, confronting and breaking free of workplace structures constraining the self, and recovering an ‘authentic’ self. Analysis focuses particularly on reconciling postmodern theories of ...

Fostering Spirituality in a Pastoral Care Context

This article addresses the issue of promoting spirituality as a dimension of pastoral care in schools. The everyday practice of caring and giving may leave carers tired, depleted of spiritual sustenance, and without practices that nurture their spirituality. This article proposes that spirituality is an essential element of pastoral care, and that it can be promoted through examination of ones sense of vocation, bodywork, journal writing and nurturing soul friends.