Abstract
Current practices in teacher education are standards‐driven and place a great deal of emphases on micro‐analyzing practices and reflecting on technical problems in teaching. Processes that are attributed to one's inner life, and that are associated with the artistic/aesthetic domains, such as, intuition, contemplation, visualization, and imagination are largely ignored in teacher education programs. Many educators, however, believe that the cultivation of the inner life, in particular, the imagination, is critical for teacher development and reshaping professional practices. This paper focuses on how teacher education can support holistic teacher professional development through acknowledging and fostering the inner life. A model for teacher reflection and professional development based on the Native American/First Nations Medicine Wheel developed by the author will be discussed as a methodology for prospective and practicing teachers to explore self, the inner life, and connections to practice.