With visualisations such as drawing oneself as a teacher it is possible to identify essential aspects of academics’ teacher identity. Teachers expressed their teacher identity through realistic and metaphorical drawings. As a tool in pedagogical development courses, drawings allow multiple perspectives of oneself as a teacher, help them to reflect as a teacher, and reveal even stereotype beliefs about teaching and learning.

Visualisoinnit kuten piirrostehtävät itsestä opettajana soveltuvat yliopiston opettajien opettajanidentiteetin eri ulottuvuuksien tunnistamiseen. Yliopiston opettajat kuvasivat itseään sekä realistisin että metaforisin piirroksin. Piirrostehtävät soveltuvat yliopistopedagogiikan kursseille. Ne mahdollistavat opettajanidentiteetin monien ulottuvuuksien tunnistamisen ja edistävät opettajien taitoja reflektoida omaa opettajuuttaan sekä auttavat heitä tunnistamaan stereotyyppisiä uskomuksiaan opetuksesta ja oppimisesta.

Read more from: Nevgi, A., & Löfström, E. (2014). Visualisations as a means for exploring academics’ teacher identities. International Journal For Academic Development, 19 (3), 174–185.
DOI: 10.1080/1360144X.2013.823545

Abstract

Academics’ teacher identities are a relatively little explored area. This paper explores this through an analysis of drawings by academics. The data consist of 90 drawings. The participants are academics who have attended basic courses in university pedagogy. The drawings were content analysed. In the drawings, the academics expressed themselves as teachers through the teaching context and the actors, artefacts and activities of teaching and learning. By drawing attention to these elements, academics can be encouraged to reflect on their beliefs about teaching and teacher role.