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Alison Davis, Ed.D., is a 2024 graduate of the Ed.D. program in Educational and Professional Practice at Antioch University.

Headshot of Alison Davis with a background of greenery

Dr. Alison Davis

Dissertation Committee:

  • Tony Kashani, PhD, Chairperson
  • Torin Finser, PhD. Committee Member
  • Douglas Gerwin, PhD, Committee Member

Keywords

organic inquiry, spiritual research, healing, self-healing, biopsychosocial-spiritual paradigm, salutogenic paradigm, teacher wellbeing, teacher self-care, perceptive capacities, Waldorf education

Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Date

2024

Abstract

This dissertation engages the spiritually-inspired methodology of organic inquiry to investigate how teachers practice self-healing in order to become available to students. Self-healing is a vital part of freeing up the teacher’s perceptive capacities to more deeply and fully attend to the needs of students. Self-healing work includes a variety of practices and modalities, including spiritual ones, in order to work through trauma, adversity, dis-ease, stress, and one-sidedness. Research shows that self-healing, especially in regards to mindfulness and meditation, equips teachers to confront compassion fatigue, secondary trauma, burnout, illness, and more. There is also ample evidence that training one’s attention to see as fully as possible, rather than seeing through narrow or biased lenses, plays an important role in learning and in health and healthy relationships. This research is situated within the emergent biopsychosocial-spiritual framework of health, which recognizes the interconnectedness of body, soul, and spirit in human beings, and within the salutogenic paradigm. This study’s contribution to the field begins with stories gathered from teacher’s lived experiences through open-ended questionnaires and interviews. In addition, it proposes new axiological considerations for teacher training, credentialing, and professional development that are sourced in expanded models of health and balance, both at the collective and individual levels. Finally, it offers original practices for experimenting with self-healing. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA (https://aura.antioch.edu) and OhioLINK ETD Center (https://etd.ohiolink.edu).

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ORCID No.: 0009-0005-3062-4628

Bio:

Alison Davis is an award-winning educator, author, and activist. Alison's work centers around questions of health, healing, education, and spirituality and has been featured in a wide range of literary and scholarly publications.

Publications:

Davis, A. (2025). A rare but possible condition. Saddle Road Press.

Davis, A. (2024). Poetic inquiry and community-generated art. Poetry Salon Series. The Art Bloc Sausalito. Sausalito, CA.

Davis, A. (2024). Parenting in the digital age. Media and Education. Highland Hall Waldorf School. Northridge, CA.

Davis, A. (2024, October 26). The inner work of the teacher. Starlight Rays in Darkened Times. Center for Anthroposophy.

Davis, A. (2024). Wild canvas. Finishing Line Press.

Davis, A. (2024). Launching a Critical Media Literacy Class for High School Students: A Case Study. T. Kashani (Ed.). Meditations on resistance: an inquiry into AI, critical media literacy, and social justice. Peter Lang Press.

Davis, A. (2024). Toward a high school critical media literacy curriculum [keynote]. Antioch University.

Davis, A. (2024, October 16). Joined at the heart: Authentic assessment and inclusive curriculum. Starlight Rays in Darkened Times. Center for Anthroposophy.

Davis, A. (2024, January). Connecting with neurodiverse students. Starlight Rays in Darkened Times. Center for Anthroposophy.

Davis, A. (2023). Decolonizing a world literature classroom in the service of deep listening. Research Bulletin, 27(2), 15-23.

Davis, A. (2022). It's just good business: Incorporating social entrepreneurship in the classroom and kitchen. School Renewal. 8-9.

Davis, A. (2022, February 12). Student assessment. Starlight Rays in Darkened Times. Center for Anthroposophy.

Davis, A. (2020). Grades and external motivation in Waldorf high schools: Examining the assumptions and imagining alternatives. Waldorf Research Bulletin, 25(2), 33-38.

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