Gert Rijlaarsdam holds a position as full professor at the Graduate School of Teaching and Learning ( GSTL ) of the University of Amsterdam, and had an additional position as professor in Language Education at Utrecht University, a position installed by the Dutch Association of Teachers of Living Languages (Dutch: Vereniging voor Leraren in Levende Talen ) (from 1999-2004).
He started as a teacher of Dutch Language and Literature at a school for secondary education, where he taught for 17 years. Meanwhile he studied Dutch Language and Literature (MA), Educational Studies (MA) both at Leiden University, and wrote his PhD on an empirical study about the effects of peer feedback on writing (University of Amsterdam,1986). From 1981 he combined his job as teacher with a part-time job at the educational research institute at the University of Amsterdam. There he got his on the job training asresearcher from Hildo Wesdorp (1935-1987), together with Henk Blok, Kees de Glopper, and Huub van den Bergh.
In 1988 he was appointed as associate professor (Dutch: UHD) at the then newly established Graduate School of Teaching and Learning (GSTL) at the University of Amsterdam, with the special task to create -- with two colleagues Geert ten Dam and Fred Korthagen -- an integrative post-graduate university institute for teacher training, in-service training and research. Nowadays he is involved in teaching , research , and development. He managed for many years Development & Services. From 2006-2008 he was responsible for the development and implmentation of a new teacher training curriculum at the GSTL.
