The Teacher-Researcher: Juggling Dual Roles

On 21 February 2018, higher degree students at NIE were invited to a talk about nurturing the professional identity of teachers and the process of academic publishing. The lecture by Professor Perry den Brok, an expert in Education and Learning Sciences from the Netherland’s Wageningen University and Research, was one of a wide-ranging series of workshops and events organised by NIE’s Graduate Research and Academic Development Centre.

During the first part of his inspiring two-hour talk, Professor Perry den Brok gave audiences a breakdown of the three concepts underlying the professional identity of teachers: awareness of what type of teachers they wanted to become, the effectiveness of bringing an identity-based approach to teacher training, and the concepts and implications behind the research of teachers’ professional identities. As more and more institutes and governments recognise the changes confronting education landscape, Professor Perry den Brok argued the merits of an identity-based approach to preparing both new and experienced teachers for dealing with change .

After the break, Professor Perry den Brok shared his insights on academic publishing and discussed his experiences as an editor. He explained the key considerations in preparing a manuscript, the common mistakes in submitted manuscripts and how the review process worked. He also provided an insiders’ take on strategies that could enhance success in publishing.

Ms Sun Xiaoya, a second-year PhD student who was at the event, shared how listening to Professor den Brok gave her new perspective: “Originally I found it a bit weird putting two unrelated topics into one talk. But as many in the NIE higher degree community are would-be or on-the-job teachers who need to publish their research at some point of their study or career, a lecture touching upon both roles can, in fact, be particularly relevant!”