Global Views, Personal Perspectives: Connecting to Self as Scholar - reflection and balance in scholarship activities

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by awa

Global Views, Personal Perspectives: Connecting to Self as Scholar explores how academics can achieve a more balanced scholarly life by integrating “self as scholar” alongside research and teaching. The paper frames globalization and changing academic pressures as reasons to deepen reflection on identity, fulfillment, and well-being. It outlines workshop activities such as role/identity graphing, role reduction exercises, and self-wellness mapping, to help readers uncover assumptions, reduce stress, and redesign professional roles for greater integration.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages5

Reading Time13 min

AccessFree to download

Global Views, Personal Perspectives: Connecting to Self as Scholar

Balance in Scholarship

Role/Identity Pie Graphs

Ten Roles

Supports and Detractors

Self as Scholar

Snakes and Ladders: Game of Life

24 Global Views, Personal Perspectives: Connecting to Self as Scholar Nicola Simmons University of Waterloo A global view requires not only a broader perspective, but also greater depth to anchor it firmly. In increasingly changing contexts, are we connected to ourselves in a way that feeds our spirits and nourishes our work? A professional sphere based only on research and practice risks being unbalanced and may jeopardize our well-being as academics. The activities outlined in this paper encourage you to adda third support: integration of self as scholar towards a more balanced perspective. Balance in Scholarship This year’s Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education conference theme, A World of Learning, was in part about the impact of globalization in higher education – a timely choice, given international issues of credentials, credit transfer, and accountability. At the sametime, class sizes and corresponding workload and its pace continue to increase, and technologysupported multi-tasking has become the expected norm. Is the world truly getting smaller, or are we becoming smaller within it? In a pre-conference workshop, I proposed that a global view of scholarship requires not only greater breadth of vision, but also greater depth, particularly about who we are and how our perspectives help us find fulfillment in our work. A sense of self as scholar is critical to success, particularly as we work to navigate the stress of our often rapidly changing contexts. ‘Evidence-based practice’ – an integration of research and teaching – is likely a familiar phrase. Indeed, one of the strengths ofthe relatively new field of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) is that it naturally connects these two foci. In my mind, however, this integration leaves out something of critical importance. Just as I advise faculty planning their courses to consider the three learning domains (cognitive, psychomotor, and affective), I suggest practitioners consider how these three, which could also be thought of as theory, practice, and self, intersect in their own reflective practice. I note that better balance can be achieved with three points – which will always be in the same plane. Palmer (1998) advised academics to consider the spirit of teaching; Brookfield (1995) proposed teaching authentically. How often, however, do we think about integrating self as scholar into both teaching and research to create a symbiotic triad of scholarship? The conference workshop grew from a desire to provide opportunities for others to critically analyze their professional roles, their beliefs and values about those roles, and where they might draw strength and reduce stress in those roles. To this end, we engaged in several activities to help uncover assumptions and unexamined perspectives. In the remainder of this paper I will briefly describe some of these activities, including role/identity graphing, 10 roles, supportsand detractors, and a variation on Kompf’s (1993) lifemapping. In each case, I have provided space for you to try the activities as you read. Role/Identity Pie Graphs This exercise asks you to create pie graphs to compare how your work life is now and how you would like it to be. Spend time thinking about what you put in each circle, and what percentage of your time it occupies. How can you reduce areas that occupy much of your time now but that you would like to replace with more meaningful or rewarding activities? How my work life is now How I’d like it to be In my own example, I found that even after including 35 hours a week of work, seven hours sleep per night, driving to work, an hour of physical activity a day, eating, making meals, ferrying kids around, I still had 40 hours left over to spend however I want. I could so easily (and perhaps you already do) fill those extra 40 hours with more work, but I know that’s not how I will be my most productive and fulfilled. Ten Roles Ano

FAQs

Why does the paper argue that a “global view” needs deeper integration?

It argues that broader perspectives alone can leave academics unanchored, risking imbalance and jeopardizing well-being in changing contexts.

How does the paper connect evidence-based practice with integrating self as scholar?

It notes that evidence-based practice links research and teaching, but suggests adding how theory, practice, and self intersect in reflective practice for a more complete integration.

What is the purpose of the role/identity pie graphs activity?

Readers compare how their work life is now versus how they want it to be, then identify what areas of time can be reduced or replaced with more meaningful activities.

How does lifemapping (snakes and ladders) help reflection?

It uses a timeline of significant life events with impact ratings to reveal patterns of personal growth and improve anticipation of future events and life paths.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by awa