Bio

Short Biography

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 very young 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), followed by 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 secondary teacher with a part-time job at the educational research institute at the University of Amsterdam (RITP, later SCO). There he got his on the job training as researcher from Hildo Wesdorp (1935-1987), together with researchers as Henk Blok and later 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, which he does again from 2009. From 2006-2008 he was responsible for the implementation of a new teacher training curriculum at the GSTL. In 2010-2011 he was responsible for reshaping that 'new' curriculum for efficiency (less costs, more results: students that get the grade within nominal study time.

Graduate School of Teaching and L:earning

Personal data

Until 2007 you could find Gert on Saturdays on soccer fields in the region: he is a certificated soccer referee (KNVB). In his free time he trains a German shepherd dog, called Beer (Dutch for Bear). On the photo in the intro above,you see him preparing the other dog, the Dutch shepherd dog Storm, for a round of ski wandering. Storm died in July 2007. 

On the left handed photo; Beer is looking for something,while his friend Anak walks away, giving up. Beer never gives up.

Click for more Beer below; Beer in Switzerland, October 2007

Since April 2008, Gert owns an old-timer Mercedes Camper bus and travels --slowly slowly -- through Western Europe.

In August 2009 Gert was programme manager of the EARLI 2009 conference in Amsterdam. See photo's at EARLI conference website, see link below.


More Beer

Storm

Mercedes Oldtimer left

Mercedes Oldtimer right

EARLI 2009