Inner Speak: Dwelling in Teacher Professional Development

Abstract

Drawing on the Dialogical Self-Theory, this chapter explores the dynamic nature of inner speech through an autoethnographic lens. Through situated narratives from professional life, I examine how these internal voices intersect, conflict, and support meaning-making, emotional regulation. The chapter proposes a typology of three interrelated modes of internal dialogue: rhizomatic, shaped, and encapsulated inner speech. By attending to how teachers speak to themselves, especially in complex or uncertain situations, the chapter invites readers to consider inner speech as a site of reflexivity, resistance, and becoming in teacher education. Ultimately, it offers both a theoretical contribution and a methodological proposition for exploring inner speech in vivo, as it unfolds in the everyday practices of academic and professional life.