Tomas Bata University in Zlín

PhDr. Barbora Petrů-Puhrová, Ph.D.

After studying at the Faculty of Education at the University of Ostrava, specialization in Teaching for the first stage of primary school (specialization in Dramatic Education), she worked for thirteen years as a teacher and principal in primary and kindergarten. In 2019, she completed her doctoral studies in Pedagogy at Tomas Bata University in Zlín, focusing on the issue of the parent as an actor of the child’s home preparation for school. Her research interests include the issue of transition of children from kindergarten to primary school, including home preparation of pupils at the first stage of primary school. At the same time, it is newly focusing on the area of management and leadership in educational institutions. He is involved in the organization and implementation of events of the Institute of School Pedagogy, such as the Open Day, Junior University and is involved in internal project calls.

Teaching has been with you since university – were you clear in high school that you wanted to follow this path?
This is going to sound unoriginal, but the path to teaching was probably decided by the personality of my first grade teacher in elementary school. The childhood role model subsequently turned out to be studying Teaching for Grade I at the University of Ostrava after high school. And apparently a coincidence of chance or fate brought me to ULB, where after almost twenty years I met Prof. Lukášová, who taught me at the University of Ostrava. I would never have thought in my life that we could work together at the same workplace. Even such things happen… and I am grateful for them.

In the past, you worked as a director of a primary school and a kindergarten in one legal entity. What was the turning point when you decided to move from practice to academia?
It can be said that my personal and professional life follows a quite beautiful, smooth path, with challenges and opportunities here and there. And since I am not a “One Coat” person, after thirteen years of experience as a teacher and principal, I decided that I needed to educate myself; the usual seminars and workshops for further education of teaching staff were no longer enough. With the then naive idea that I could handle doctoral studies like everything else, after studying the information on the university’s website, I went to my subsequent supervisor with the idea that I, the school principal, knew what and how. And here was the turning point when you understand how far academia is from the classroom. My original intention was only to study a combined PhD programme, a change within a stable and thriving school was not at first even on my mind. But, again, there is a challenge to be grasped, I thought. I made the decision and left the school that still remains my heart’s work, after all it was a longer period of time spent with children, pupils, colleagues and filled with valuable experience both as a teacher and a headteacher. And it is this experience that I can use in the current teaching of subjects at the Institute of School Pedagogy.

The connection with practice is always very important for teaching. How do you transfer your own experience and knowledge from working in a kindergarten or primary school to your students?
Previous work experience is certainly an advantage, especially when it comes to teaching practical subjects. However, university teaching is not only about practice, the theoretical basis, working with literature and research is important, so the aim should be to give students a solid knowledge base in the field with an overlap into educational reality. That is why I am still kind of catching up with my “school handicap”.

What does work at the faculty bring you?
Working at the Institute of School Pedagogy brings a great variety of tasks. Firstly, the role of an academic is to create, write and actively engage in research activities, but it is a never-ending path of scientific discovery, exploration and finding one’s own research path. Secondly, from my point of view, teaching with students is also a mirror of your own work, to whom you pass on not only a piece of “science” but also a piece of yourself, your own example. And last but not least, it is important to mention the third role of the university, contact with practice, cooperation with local school policy and, no less, staying in touch with the children and pupils of the schools themselves. Therefore, I would like to mention our most important and well-known event – Junior University, as well as the Institute’s participation in the Zlín Film Festival for children and youth in Zlín and the organization of Science Days for children, excursions and, most recently, tutoring of pupils by our students.

You are a very active person, there must always be something going on around you. Can this nature of yours be reconciled with your teaching and especially your scientific activities?
The public’s image of academics is usually that of a quizzical, discreet, and quiet academic absorbed only in scientific work… I admit that I don’t fall into this category of “typical academic”, but I don’t think that being energetic, with humour in my heart and in my palm, is contrary to university work. Since my heart is in drama education, I try to show students, despite teaching these subjects, that drama and theatre are not “buffoonery” but a way to develop the personality and social learning of children in school and the students themselves.

You focus, among other things, on the topic of “the parent as an actor in the home preparation for school classes”.
Nowadays, the topic of homeschooling and preparation for teaching is very relevant. Do you have the opportunity to apply the results of your research and your focus on this area in practice in the current coronavirus era? You also completed your postgraduate studies (Ph.D. degree) at the Faculty of Humanities. Can you please give us an overview of how such studies at the Faculty of Humanities are conducted?
Let’s start with the very first step. Before you apply for admission to a doctoral programme, you should read the information about the programme at https://jhs.utb.cz/veda-a-vy- zkum/ph-d-studium/accredited-programmes-a- -disciplines/ The next step is to choose from the topics offered, contact a potential supervisor and prepare a dissertation proposal for admission. Knowledge of the English language at the required level is also essential for the study. In some respects, it is an advantage to be a graduate of the Faculty of Humanities, as you already have an idea of the demands on the student and the way the Faculty studies. In addition, the full-time form of study also brings a study grant. Colleagues from the combined form, so called from the outside, may find it more difficult, especially in the organisation of direct teaching, but it is certainly not impossible to arrange to reconcile professional practice and study. That is why each student has an individual study plan that is scheduled according to the realistic possibilities of the mandatory study requirements so that he or she is able to meet them in time and in good quality. This includes, for example, mastering courses of theoretical and methodological basis, professional studies in Czech and foreign journals, teaching courses at the university, conducting and opposing bachelor theses, academic English.

How does the study itself take place? What courses do students have to take and what else is required of them?
The studies are usually four years long, where in the first year you acquire knowledge and expertise through the teaching of theoretical subjects led by our leading experts in the field of Pedagogy. At the same time, you have the opportunity to experience “teaching”, to take part in work activities at the Institute and thus to penetrate the university system and its life. It is important to mention that from the first year you work on your dissertation, first on a theoretical basis, then in your own research, thus demonstrating your competence to link theoretical knowledge with rese Milestones are the so-called Doctoral Seminars, in which you present the results of your dissertation so far and then receive valuable feedback from your supervisor and the expert committee. As a student, you can take advantage of the opportunity to take part in internal competitions, write professional texts, participate in the Institute’s projects, and gradually improve your English language skills by taking the compulsory course Academic English. The trips abroad, either within the Erasmus programme or at international conferences, or personal participation in lectures or workshops of experts from other universities are valuable, which not only allow to learn how to present oneself in front of others but are a good opportunity to meet the pedagogical community to gradually establish oneself in the field.
It is also all about the time you are willing to invest in your studies, and I admit that sometimes you need to bite the bullet and outdo yourself. So, doctoral study is accompanied by your effort, striving, and willingness to give up quiet days and free time for a time, knowing that you are investing in your future and your own professional career.

And the conclusion? What about the PhD exam and dissertation defence?
The culminating act of doctoral studies is certainly the final state examination and the defence of the dissertation. The culminating act of doctoral studies is surely the final state exam and the defence of the dissertation. Nevertheless, the journey does not end with the degree, on the contrary: the degree is a stepping stone for further academic or scientific careers.

During the DPS you also completed the rigorous procedure. At the same time, you were working hard at Faculty of Humanities. Any advice on how to balance all this together so that you can keep up with everything? The advantage was certainly the interconnection of the work of the assistant and the student at the Institute of School Pedagogy. Integration with the institute’s culture, considerable support from colleagues, and above all, the leadership of the institute greatly helped me successfully complete both my rigorous thesis and dissertation. I would like to thank my associate professor Adriana Wiegerová for her help and support throughout my time at the faculty.

What advice would you give to those interested in doctoral studies?
I would advise future candidates for PhD studies to be willing to learn and be prepared for intensive studies filled with new knowledge, experience, but also systematic and demanding scientific work accompanied by an open mind to overcome obstacles, accept criticism and listen carefully to those who help you to reach your goal. For doctoral study does not just give you a degree after your name, but with it you gain a new piece of confidence to give to others – and that, in my opinion, is a dimension that cannot be fully described, it has to be experienced. I would be happy to answer specific questions and go over the details of the study with any prospective students.