Kennedy Tielman

Dr. Kennedy Tielman was born in Curaçao. After completing his secondary education, he moved to the Netherlands in 1977 to study as a chemical analyst followed by training as a chemistry teacher.

Thereafter, he was employed as a chemistry teacher at a secondary senior vocational education and training school. Since 2005 he has been working as a teacher educator at the Fontys University of Applied Sciences, specializing in pedagogical content knowledge for chemistry, for which he holds an MSc degree from Utrecht University. He also taught from 2009 to 2011 as a visiting lecturer of pedagogical content knowledge in chemistry at the Technical University of Eindhoven and the Universidade Pedagogica in Mozambique.

His PhD research entitled “Diversity related (compe)tensions: A study
into teachers’ self-perceived multicultural competence and experienced culturally loading value-based tensions in Senior Secondary Vocational Education and Training” resulted in several peer-reviewed publications. One of his articles received an award for the most downloaded article at an international
journal in the first 12 months after publication.

During his PhD research, Kennedy presented his research at several national and international conferences. His research receives considerable attention from the media and relevant institutions and was used in a legislative proposal for more support for SSVET teachers to address diversity.
Moreover, based on his research, he was invited several times by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science to participate as a member of a think tank and sounding board in sessions on diversity in senior secondary vocational education and was invited to present his research
results to the national board of SSVET.

By giving various lectures and workshops for universities, schools and other institutions and his professional publications, he promotes the translation of his research findings into practice. 
He currently works as a Professor of Practice (practor) where he conducts research on Relational Caring at Senior Secondary Vocational Education Summa. He also works one day a week as a teacher trainer and researcher in the field of Diversity, Inclusion and Sense of Belonging at the School
of Education at Fontys University.