I would like to say a huge thank you to the MTT research group at Tampere University’s Faculty of Education and Culture for hosting me for a two-week research visit. This was supported by the EARLI Researcher Mentor Grant, which enables international researcher mobility, collaboration, and the exchange of ideas across educational contexts.
I had the opportunity to present and discuss my research focused on growth mindset, attend seminars with student teachers, observe learning activities, meet with researchers, fellow academics, and PhD students, and visit schools to observe lessons and discuss teaching practice with educators and school leaders.
A central part of the visit involved conversations around areas closely connected to my work, including growth mindset, motivation, resilience, autonomy, wellbeing, pedagogy, and teacher development. These discussions supported valuable knowledge exchange around research methodologies, teachers’ understandings of these concepts in practice, and how researchers might approach this work more carefully. It was also valuable to share my own experience of teacher professional development and discuss how research ideas can be translated into meaningful support for educators.
Throughout the visit, I was grateful for the openness and generosity of the colleagues, students, and school staff I met. I am especially grateful to Inkeri Rissanen and Elina Kuusisto for organising the visit, supporting my research development, and creating such a thoughtful and engaging programme.
I have come away from Tampere with new ideas, new collaborations, and a great deal of inspiration. The visit has been an important opportunity to develop my research thinking and continue shaping future postdoctoral work connected to mindset, pedagogy, teacher education, and learning across international contexts.
Text by Dr Will Zoppellini
Please visit Will’s webpage Coffee & theory to learn more about his work on growth mindset.