Developing university teachers’ identity

Abstract

This report presents the results of the 7thstage of the longitudinal research performed at two universities during 2004-2015. The main goal of the longitudinal research was to investigate educational possibilities for the development of the intercultural communication (Bruneviciute and Veckiene, 2004; 2009; Bruneviciute et al., 2010). One of the previous – the 4th stage of the study – focused on the analysis of the practical activity of the intercultural/interdisciplinary team, striving to improve education programs and organizational practice. The main goal of the 7th stage of the research was to investigate educational and practical possibilities for the development of intercultural communication, highlighting the development of the identity of University teachers – tutors of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) – as learning group members. The concept of the Learning Professional Organization (Hargreaves, 2003), as a possible strategy for meeting challenges of the multidisciplinary knowledge society, was used for research design. We focused on tutors’ competence in a) the intercultural communication and collaboration to balance learning and social support processes, and b) permanent reflection on the group and team work experience. Since the different professional experience makes the process of collaboration challenging, but also increases knowledge about the PBL tutors’ identity, the problem of the lack of practical development of University teachers as team members, as leaders, as supervisors, and as tutors emerges. Within the context of the paradigm of learning, the concept of learning as the pickup and reproduction of information is replaced by that of an interactive dynamic process of searching, where investigation and interaction with the environment leads to the birth of new understanding (Mac Farline, 1995; Greene et al., 1973.). The aim of teaching is[...]