Development of a post-lesson observation conferencing protocol: Situated in theory, research, and practice

•Few known methods to educate teacher educators.•Self-study results in improved practice and knowledge generation.•Conferencing protocols support teacher candidate's self-assessment.

Since student teaching experiences are paramount, teacher educators' development of their own field-instruction practice should be studied. This self-study analyzes the five-year development process of my self-created post-lesson observation conferencing protocol. Story line methodology and personal/practical narrative inquiry were used to juxtapose key events with changes to the protocol over time. Through the analysis, gaps between my developing theoretical understandings and my actual practice were identified. The recognition of these misalignments resulted in two outcomes, (a) additional improvements to the protocol and my practice (b) production of a conceptual framework and protocol for conferencing with student teachers.