Speakers
KEYWORDS
reflective practice
collaboration
job crafting
professional development
ABSTRACT
For instructors in higher education, engaging in meaningful research enhances professional growth and informs teaching practices. However, balancing research with heavy teaching loads and administrative responsibilities presents challenges. As three teachers who have collaborated on a research project for more than three years, we will reflect on the ongoing development of our collaboration and emphasize how collaboration has given us the opportunity to attain autonomy in terms of professional development, helping us grow as researchers despite lack of formal professional development opportunities. Last year, our team achieved key milestones, including submitting a paper for publication and applying for external research funding. We also faced challenges: changes in the members affiliations, expansion of research activities beyond this collaboration and taking on more administrative work. Central to our progress has been a commitment to reflective methodologies, which have allowed us to engage in constructive dialogue, challenge assumptions, and refine our practices collaboratively. This presentation highlights how collaborative reflection fosters autonomy in professional development as both teachers and researchers. Through these reflections, we aim to provide actionable advice for educators seeking to engage in job crafting and improve their well-being by taking control of their professional development and sustaining meaningful academic partnerships.
| TITLE | Collaborative reflection as a path to autonomous professional development |
|---|---|
| RELEVANT SIG | Teacher Development |
| FORMAT | Practice-oriented Oral Face-to-face presentation (25 minutes, including Q&A) |
