Dear colleagues,
I started my PhD research in February 2020. I already know some of you, but I don’t know some of you yet. So here’s some more background.
The promotion process comes at a perfect time for me. After studying sociology, I passed my teaching qualification. In August 2008 I started as an intern social studies at the Adriaan Roland Holst College in Hilversum. Immediately I was captivated by education. For a number of years I taught full-time. Since 2012, I have combined this job with my other job as a teacher educator in social studies at the UvA. I think the combination is fantastic: I bring the knowledge and network of the UvA into the ARHC and the GSF. And vice versa, the practical experience of the school enriches my education at the university. However, I notice that I am ready for the next step, in which I want to immerse myself more academically in education and research. With the possibility of the doctoral research, that challenging step is coming and I am really looking forward to it.
The PhD research focuses on teaching students to reason about social problems. The emphasis will be on the development and implementation of didactic approaches in social sciences. Scientifically, this research provides new insights, because very little is known internationally about effective didactic approaches to promote reasoning about social problems. The PhD research focuses on teaching students to reason about social problems. The emphasis will be on the development and implementation of didactic approaches in social sciences. Scientifically, this research provides new insights, because very little is known internationally about effective didactic approaches to promote reasoning about social problems. Relevant research has been done on other subjects, such as history, but little on social studies. This research tries to contribute to the knowledge gap in social studies.
In addition, this research enables me to develop further as a subject-active expert, which is of great value to my work as an instructor and teacher educator. In the Netherlands my research may also have a significant impact on the development of the social sciences subject and the training and professionalization of teachers. As far as I know, no one in the Netherlands has yet obtained a PhD in didactic research in social studies and social sciences. Internationally, the field is also sparsely populated. Hopefully, this PhD trajectory can make a meaningful contribution to the social and scientific discussions about an important didactic skill of pupils within social studies.
I’m looking forward to meeting you. Probably in a Zoom context…
Best regards,
Thomas