How can teachers best learn from each other and develop? Jacobiene Meirink is conducting research on professional development for teachers in secondary education. She is particularly interested in how teachers collaborate on and learn from the development of teaching programmes. More insight into effective…

The studies reported in this thesis were situated in the context of an innovation of Dutch secondary school biology curricula. As in any innovation, the practical knowledge of teachers determine the outcomes through the decisions they make while planning and teaching their lessons. The aim of the studies…

Who inspired you to see a subject in a whole new light? The Teacher of the Year Award celebrates those who not only share knowledge but also spark curiosity, connect with students, and bring research to life. Meet the finalists for 2025!

The Minor in Teaching was introduced in 2009 as a new initiative to introduce and prepare bachelor students for teaching. Student numbers are low, however, especially of mathematics and science students.

To what extent are university teachers' individual learning paths influenced by their teaching experience, motivation, and conceptions of teaching and learning through educational technology?

The Young Academy Leiden (YAL) is a select group of young academics at Leiden University. Founded in early 2019, it serves as a platform to bring young, enthusiastic and driven early career (post-PhD) academics together. YAL members represent a variety of scientific and scholarly…

Which teacher did an outstanding job in not only transferring knowledge in novel ways but also in getting students enthusiastic and connecting a course to current research themes? Meet the nominees for the Teacher of the Year Award 2024!

What practical knowledge do mentor teachers have of adaptive mentoring and of individual differences between student teachers?

After a promising start, also the second pilot of the digital Brightspace skills platform is a success. Third-year bachelor students had thirty new skill modules at their disposal to support them with their research assignment. Despite the additional challenges posed by COVID-19, students that used…

De Leiden Law Academy, voorheen JPAO, verzorgt geaccrediteerde juridische post academische opleidingen en nascholingen in samenwerking met de rechtenfaculteit Leiden en staat garant voor een leven lang ontwikkelen op juridisch gebied. Wij helpen u graag bij het actueel houden van uw kennis en vaardi…

Does student and teacher gender affect students’ performance and what is the role of gender stereotypes in this relation?

Beginning teachers often experience difficulties making activating lessons. This study investigates how and if the practical teaching model can offer them a hand in learning to design lessons.

Academy Building, Rapenburg 73, 2311 GJ, Leiden

The literature indicates that teacher professional development and learning may be improved by using formative assessment procedures. This thesis focuses on a specific form of formative assessment, negotiated assessment, which is characterised by the exchange of views between assessor and assessee and…

How to make educational innovations practical for teachers

Many teachers in secondary education take differences between pupils into account . PhD research by Saskia Stollman (ICLON) shows that they need room to experiment and the support of the school management

The research project focuses on teachers’ learning motivation and learning performance in professional learning activities.

Conference

Bachelor, Master

Dissatisfied older teachers regularly quit teaching before reaching retirement age. In her dissertation, Ietje Veldman advocates specific coaching for this group to retain them for education.

Each year, the Faculty of Science celebrates exceptional teaching with its annual award. Here you’ll find how the tradition began, how the winner is chosen, and where to explore the lecturers who have earned the title in previous years.

This project focuses on vocational teachers’ professional development in work placement. Teachers’ learning motivation, learning experience and learning outcomes within work placement will be explored in depth.

How do teachers’ knowledge, practices, perceptions, job satisfaction and workload in secondary education develop during a school innovation in the context of differentiated student development?

Contact us about initial teacher education, educational research and teacher professional development

In this research project characteristics of effective instructional development were identified that are appealing to medical teachers and relevant for medical education.

This thesis comprises four closely related interpretative studies and set out to answer the compound question: ‘How do teachers interpret their classroom interactions in terms of their pupils’ best interest?’

Education for professionals. Leiden University offers a wide range of courses to boost your career, learn new skills, or broaden your knowledge.

Getting started with active learning & teaching can be as simple as assessing on what is already accomplished. Here are some practical courses of action to begin experimenting with active learning, whether you are a teacher or responsible for the spaces.

This doctoral thesis comprises four studies on the content and structure of physics teachers’ belief systems about teaching and learning physics in secondary education in the Netherlands.

Student cooperativeness underlies high quality teacher-student relationships, and has been positively associated with students’ school engagement. Fostering cooperative rather than oppositional student behavior might be especially helpful for protecting at-risk students against academic failure.

This project is situated within the context of an innovation of the biology curriculum in Dutch secondary schools. The main purposes are (1) to clarify the relation between teachers’ practical knowledge and the decisions they make when planning and implementing their lessons and (2) to develop a professional…

This dissertation reports on the pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) of science teachers during a professional development program. This research intended to help us understand why and how teachers make their classroom decisions as they teach science.

How can a participatory theatre-based pedagogy support pre-service teachers in The Netherlands in developing critical awareness and an active change-agent identity with respect to diversity, equity and inclusion in educational contexts?

How would you like to combine your studies at Leiden University with high-level education in the arts? The Academy of Creative and Performing Arts will give you a unique opportunity to develop your academic and artistic talents.

-

How can we map and foster Dutch secondary teachers’ agency in inclusive education practices?

Academy Building, Rapenburg 73, 2311 GJ, Leiden

The research reported in this thesis is concerned with the knowledge development of a small sample of experienced science teachers in the context of a broad innovation in Dutch secondary education, including the introduction of a new syllabus on Public Understanding of Science.

How can we gain insights in the connection between teaching practices and theoretical elaborations of purposes of education?

Reflective dialogue is an effective instrument for professional learning of teachers. This research considers the characteristics, development, stimulating and limiting conditions for reflective dialogues in the context of Dutch primary school teachers who collaborate and learn together. The goal is…

The arts and science: for years, they were seen as opposite extremes. One calls on emotion and the other on reason. The Academy of Creative and Performing Arts (ACPA) proves that nothing could be further from the truth. ACPA is where the knowledge and expertise of Leiden University and the University…

At ACPA, the collaboration between Leiden University and the University of the Arts The Hague, artistry and academia meet at the highest level.

We organise various activities for high school students and their physics teachers to learn about Astronomy at Leiden University.

Didactics

How do teachers conceptualise, develop and implement an effective CLIL practice?

This dissertation reports on the requirements for the design and development of teacher assessments, and examines the possibility of developing an assessment procedure that complies with the formulated requirements.

The BOCA project explores new forms of communicating academic knowledge as a way to strengthen the connection between the university and society. The project was awarded a Kiem seed grant and is led by Daniela Vicherat Mattar (FGGA/LUC) and Nanne Timmer (FGw/LUCAS).

‘Islam in de klas’ is a new course targeting primary school teachers to go online on 18 March by the Leiden Islam Academy (LIA). The online course aims to help teachers get better equipped when dealing with Islam-related dilemmas in primary classrooms.