Mapping critical moments: a collaborative autoethnographical exploration of social justice formation in leaders of teacher educator programmes using life grid methodology

This paper presents a collaborative autoethnographical study exploring how critical moments in personal and professional trajectories shape social justice orientations among teacher educators. Drawing on Fuller’s (2020) intersectionality life grid methodology, three teacher educators engaged in collaborative reflection to examine pivotal experiences that influenced their understanding of inequality, privilege and educational justice. Through narrative conversations and life grid mapping, the study reveals how seemingly mundane incidents, from childhood experiences of unfairness to adult recognition of privilege, function to shape professional practice and identity. The findings demonstrate the power of collaborative autoethnography as both a research methodology and a tool for professional development, offering insights into how educators can critically examine their own positionality to become more socially just practitioners.