Ya毛l Duindam has always had a passion for exploring people's perspectives and how distinct perspectives are shaped by and shaping their surroundings (geographical places; social environments). In her work, she strives to integrate geography and social psychology, within the field of Education.
Now I am a PhD candidate in Geography & Education at the faculty of Geosciences. Since climate change has its inevitable footprints on youngsters' futures, 'climate change education' in secondary schools is urgently needed. However, contemporary climate change is a complex and (partially, multi-layered) controversial issue. How to deal with its complexity and controversies when teaching climate change? In my research, I focus on teachers' positionality and their agency in an arena of ideas on how to teach (improve) climate change education. This arena includes international (EU) statements, the educational contexts (and geography curricula) of distinct European countries, and individual teachers' motives (identities) and actual teaching practices. I am particularly interested in the contexts of Spain, the Balkans and the Netherlands.
As a researcher, Ya毛l truly believes that we cannot fully "see" and understand 'other' contexts and people from our own place (e.g. a desk in the VMA). Thus, she also uses on-site fieldwork and auto-ethnography to keep growing in cultural sensitivity within her research, and cultural self-awareness of her own (professional) position.
When not working, she loves to drive her campervan, go on adventures with her 50-kilos "icebear" (Great Pyrenees Mountaindog), or hunt for fossils.