Thank you for your interest in learning more about me. I hope we're somehow connected, or else it's a tad creepy :)
This bio is story-based and long-read, but you may jump right to certain sections or the things highlighted in bold. You may also just scroll down to the photos gallery from my fieldworks.
This bio is story-based and long-read, but you may jump right to certain sections or the things highlighted in bold. You may also just scroll down to the photos gallery from my fieldworks.
— about AM
Hi! Thanks for visiting my online space! This is an interactive website, thus it is only available for desktop. So please re-enter once you get back to your computer and you will find some hopefully useful resources for students, teachers and researchers. See you soon! :)
AM's EduSphere
Would you like to connect?
Send me a letter annamaku@ucm.es
Send me a letter annamaku@ucm.es
We were told to do this and that, and think this and that, and say this and that. We were told to love and appreciate the box we were in. Then we grew up, and we were told that now we need to think outside this box and we started trying to think outside of it. And then we stretched out our arms and realized that there was no box at all. It turned out that we don't have to think outside the box, but to understand that there is no box. If we were not so tired, we would never stretched our arms. — N-O — NOW 2024 →
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Send a letter to
annamaku@ucm.es
Send a letter to
annamaku@ucm.es
Non-Objective
Non-Objective
Non-Objective
Up Archive
Up Archive
Interest: Educational psychology, sociology of education, wellbeing in educational institutions
+ Ethical media practices (media integrity, representation & diversity), digitalisation of social sciences
Membership:
· American Psychological Association (APA) Division 46 ‘Society for Media Psychology and Technology’ and Division 15 ‘Educational Psychology’
· International Sociological Association (ISA) Research Committee on Sociology of Education (RC04) and Sociology of Communication, Knowledge and Culture (RC14)
Education:
· Bachelor 1st Class Hon. Psychology (research > leadership in academia)
· Master of Social Sciences in Human Rights (research > right to education)
· Postgraduate Qualification in Neurophysiology of Behaviour
· Ongoing: Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PCAP)
Current affiliations:
· Doctoral Researcher, Department of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Education, Charles University
· Teaching Assistant, Department of Social Work & Social Administration, Faculty of Social Sciences, The University of Hong Kong
· Media and Communications Officer, International Sociological Association (ISA) and ISA Publications
(SAGE Journals: Current Sociology, International Sociology & Global Dialogue Magazine)
· Programme Committee Member for the Master of Nonprofit Management (MNPM) at the University of Hong Kong (HKU)
· Member of the Taskforce on Ethnic Diversity at the University of Hong Kong (HKU)
· Resident tutor in the Jockey Club Student Village IV (HKU)
Together with my students we work on The Unfiltered Education project. Explore the details here > www.unfiltered-education.com
+ Ethical media practices (media integrity, representation & diversity), digitalisation of social sciences
Membership:
· American Psychological Association (APA) Division 46 ‘Society for Media Psychology and Technology’ and Division 15 ‘Educational Psychology’
· International Sociological Association (ISA) Research Committee on Sociology of Education (RC04) and Sociology of Communication, Knowledge and Culture (RC14)
Education:
· Bachelor 1st Class Hon. Psychology (research > leadership in academia)
· Master of Social Sciences in Human Rights (research > right to education)
· Postgraduate Qualification in Neurophysiology of Behaviour
· Ongoing: Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PCAP)
Current affiliations:
· Doctoral Researcher, Department of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Education, Charles University
· Teaching Assistant, Department of Social Work & Social Administration, Faculty of Social Sciences, The University of Hong Kong
· Media and Communications Officer, International Sociological Association (ISA) and ISA Publications
(SAGE Journals: Current Sociology, International Sociology & Global Dialogue Magazine)
· Programme Committee Member for the Master of Nonprofit Management (MNPM) at the University of Hong Kong (HKU)
· Member of the Taskforce on Ethnic Diversity at the University of Hong Kong (HKU)
· Resident tutor in the Jockey Club Student Village IV (HKU)
Together with my students we work on The Unfiltered Education project. Explore the details here > www.unfiltered-education.com
My family is based in Lund, Skåne, Sweden, but originally we are from Georgia. My family fled Sukhumi, Abkhazia when the war started in 1992.
2012-2016
I graduated with a bachelor's hon. degree majoring in Psychology and minoring in Social Work under the Department of Psychology, Education & Social Work (Moscow University for the Humanities), and achieving the highest GPA summa cum laude. My bachelor's thesis explored sustainable leadership in academia, researching the personality of Georgian educational psychologist D. Uznadze and his influence on the formation of an independent school of thought. I also questioned what it was about his commitment to the students that still keeps his legacy alive today. Upon graduation, I was privileged to be listed in the University Honour Book as the best graduating student of the year among all faculties. During bachelor studies, I received three scholarships for academic excellence and community work. As part of the scholarship, the university kindly offered me a teaching role as an assistant-instructor for the ‘Introduction to Psychology’ and ‘Introduction to Social Work’ courses. This was my first role in academia.
2016-2017
In 2016 I pursued a master's program in Human Rights at the San Antonio Catholic University of Murcia (UCAM), Faculty of Social Sciences & Communications, located in a picturesque, vibrant region of Spain. I completed a master's thesis on the right to education in the context of educational inequality, researching Syrian and Rohingya refugee children. During my studies, I was again humbled to be offered a scholarship position in the university as a student-care and admission-processing assistant, focusing on CIS, Eastern Europe & Africa. This role allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of the concept of student trust in higher education, as well as the expectations students have about HE.
2017-2019
From 2017 to 2019, field-worked in nonprofits for refugees and immigrants, including Skaramagas Refugee Camp (UNHCR), Piraeus Open School for Immigrants in Greece; Rohingya Community Center (Malaysian Relief Agency) and Penang Peace School in Malaysia; as well as Ukhiya Rohingya Refugee Camp (Bidyanondo Foundation) in Bangladesh. Working in these refugee camps with the focus on K-12 education was an extraordinary, incomparable, and sometimes extremely uncomfortable experience that changed my life. I am forever grateful for the opportunities offered by these organizations, some of them have allowed me to live in the camps side by side with the refugees.
Visit this gallery for the photographic chronicles of my fieldwork.
2019-2023
In 2019, I joined the research team on school development for South China Normal University (SCNU), working with SCNU schools across Guangdong Province in China. We have collaborated with over 30 schools, but my permanent alliance included: SCNU Affiliated Foreign Language School (IB, preK-12 levels), SCNU Affiliated Baiyun Fangyuan School (G1-G12), and SCNU Affiliated Heshan Experiential Boarding Primary School (G1-G6). My responsibilities included researching on IB & inquiry-based curricula and assessment, teaching quality, development of counselling strategies. Staying with this team for four and a half years, made leaving it one of the saddest decisions. It was during this time that I first took on micro team leadership, which was challenging and I did make some mistakes. One of the most enjoyable aspects of this work was creating training programs for educators and traveling across different cities and towns in Guangdong to provide these sessions. I've had the pleasure of meeting and learning from a diverse range of educators, including school administrative staff, teachers to school principals, which was exceptionally enriching and fun.
In 2020, joined a PhD program in Sociology and Anthropology at Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), where continued my research on educational vulnerabilities. However, due to the travel limitations brought by COVID-19, this PhD research was paused and resumed in fall '24.
In 2021, awarded a qualification in Neurophysiology of Behavior from the Faculty of Biology, MSU. That same year, joined the American Psychological Association (APA), Division 15 Educational Psychology, and International Sociological Association (ISA), established in 1946 under UNESCO, as well as its Research Committee on Sociology of Education (RC04). Three years later, starting from the World Congress of Sociology (Melbourne, Australia), I was honored to be selected to lead media and communications for the ISA and ISA Publications, including journals Current Sociology (SAGE), International Sociology (SAGE), and Global Dialogue Magazine, published in 15 languages.
2023-2024
In 2023, joined the University of Hong Kong (HKU), Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work and Social Administration as a teaching assistant. In this department, I am a member of the Taskforce on Ethnic Diversity and a Programme Committee Member for the Master in Nonprofit Management (MNPM). Since January 2024, I am a resident tutor in the Jockey Club Student Village IV.
In 2024, started a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PCAP) program at HKU, aligned with the UK Professional Standards Framework. This program offers a fellowship of Advanced HE and covers all aspects of teaching and learning in higher education, including curriculum design, assessment and feedback, student motivation, and professional development.
Starting September 2024 doctoral researcher at the Faculty of Education, Department of Educational Psychology, Charles University, under the supervision of Dr. Irena Smetackova, the department head.
2012-2016
I graduated with a bachelor's hon. degree majoring in Psychology and minoring in Social Work under the Department of Psychology, Education & Social Work (Moscow University for the Humanities), and achieving the highest GPA summa cum laude. My bachelor's thesis explored sustainable leadership in academia, researching the personality of Georgian educational psychologist D. Uznadze and his influence on the formation of an independent school of thought. I also questioned what it was about his commitment to the students that still keeps his legacy alive today. Upon graduation, I was privileged to be listed in the University Honour Book as the best graduating student of the year among all faculties. During bachelor studies, I received three scholarships for academic excellence and community work. As part of the scholarship, the university kindly offered me a teaching role as an assistant-instructor for the ‘Introduction to Psychology’ and ‘Introduction to Social Work’ courses. This was my first role in academia.
2016-2017
In 2016 I pursued a master's program in Human Rights at the San Antonio Catholic University of Murcia (UCAM), Faculty of Social Sciences & Communications, located in a picturesque, vibrant region of Spain. I completed a master's thesis on the right to education in the context of educational inequality, researching Syrian and Rohingya refugee children. During my studies, I was again humbled to be offered a scholarship position in the university as a student-care and admission-processing assistant, focusing on CIS, Eastern Europe & Africa. This role allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of the concept of student trust in higher education, as well as the expectations students have about HE.
2017-2019
From 2017 to 2019, field-worked in nonprofits for refugees and immigrants, including Skaramagas Refugee Camp (UNHCR), Piraeus Open School for Immigrants in Greece; Rohingya Community Center (Malaysian Relief Agency) and Penang Peace School in Malaysia; as well as Ukhiya Rohingya Refugee Camp (Bidyanondo Foundation) in Bangladesh. Working in these refugee camps with the focus on K-12 education was an extraordinary, incomparable, and sometimes extremely uncomfortable experience that changed my life. I am forever grateful for the opportunities offered by these organizations, some of them have allowed me to live in the camps side by side with the refugees.
Visit this gallery for the photographic chronicles of my fieldwork.
2019-2023
In 2019, I joined the research team on school development for South China Normal University (SCNU), working with SCNU schools across Guangdong Province in China. We have collaborated with over 30 schools, but my permanent alliance included: SCNU Affiliated Foreign Language School (IB, preK-12 levels), SCNU Affiliated Baiyun Fangyuan School (G1-G12), and SCNU Affiliated Heshan Experiential Boarding Primary School (G1-G6). My responsibilities included researching on IB & inquiry-based curricula and assessment, teaching quality, development of counselling strategies. Staying with this team for four and a half years, made leaving it one of the saddest decisions. It was during this time that I first took on micro team leadership, which was challenging and I did make some mistakes. One of the most enjoyable aspects of this work was creating training programs for educators and traveling across different cities and towns in Guangdong to provide these sessions. I've had the pleasure of meeting and learning from a diverse range of educators, including school administrative staff, teachers to school principals, which was exceptionally enriching and fun.
In 2020, joined a PhD program in Sociology and Anthropology at Complutense University of Madrid (UCM), where continued my research on educational vulnerabilities. However, due to the travel limitations brought by COVID-19, this PhD research was paused and resumed in fall '24.
In 2021, awarded a qualification in Neurophysiology of Behavior from the Faculty of Biology, MSU. That same year, joined the American Psychological Association (APA), Division 15 Educational Psychology, and International Sociological Association (ISA), established in 1946 under UNESCO, as well as its Research Committee on Sociology of Education (RC04). Three years later, starting from the World Congress of Sociology (Melbourne, Australia), I was honored to be selected to lead media and communications for the ISA and ISA Publications, including journals Current Sociology (SAGE), International Sociology (SAGE), and Global Dialogue Magazine, published in 15 languages.
2023-2024
In 2023, joined the University of Hong Kong (HKU), Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Social Work and Social Administration as a teaching assistant. In this department, I am a member of the Taskforce on Ethnic Diversity and a Programme Committee Member for the Master in Nonprofit Management (MNPM). Since January 2024, I am a resident tutor in the Jockey Club Student Village IV.
In 2024, started a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice (PCAP) program at HKU, aligned with the UK Professional Standards Framework. This program offers a fellowship of Advanced HE and covers all aspects of teaching and learning in higher education, including curriculum design, assessment and feedback, student motivation, and professional development.
Starting September 2024 doctoral researcher at the Faculty of Education, Department of Educational Psychology, Charles University, under the supervision of Dr. Irena Smetackova, the department head.
Workshops:
· Understanding IB curriculum
· Counselling in the Educational Settings
· Art Therapy in the School Settings
· Classroom Interior: Learning Corners
· Holistic Assessment Development
· Positive Classroom Management
· Research in Digital Age
· Elegant Media Branding for Academics
Lectures:
· Introduction to Psychology
· Introduction to Social Work
· Educational Psychology
· Educational Inequality
· 'Integration Paradox' MENA refugee children in EU schools
· Special Educational Needs
· Family, Education and Migration
Tutorial Sessions:
· Social Divisions in Contemporary Societies
· Being different: Understanding People with Disabilities
· Social Development: Hong Kong, China and the World
· Family Development in Modern China
Administration:
· IB PYP
· IB I-EP
· IB CEP
· Social Divisions in Contemporary Societies
· Being different: Understanding People with Disabilities
· Understanding IB curriculum
· Counselling in the Educational Settings
· Art Therapy in the School Settings
· Classroom Interior: Learning Corners
· Holistic Assessment Development
· Positive Classroom Management
· Research in Digital Age
· Elegant Media Branding for Academics
Lectures:
· Introduction to Psychology
· Introduction to Social Work
· Educational Psychology
· Educational Inequality
· 'Integration Paradox' MENA refugee children in EU schools
· Special Educational Needs
· Family, Education and Migration
Tutorial Sessions:
· Social Divisions in Contemporary Societies
· Being different: Understanding People with Disabilities
· Social Development: Hong Kong, China and the World
· Family Development in Modern China
Administration:
· IB PYP
· IB I-EP
· IB CEP
· Social Divisions in Contemporary Societies
· Being different: Understanding People with Disabilities
This is my teaching manifesto where I say that I...
Don’t want to think outside the box, but to always know that there is no box.
Don’t want my students to think outside the box, but to always know that there is no box.
Want to be equally interested in my personal growth as in the personal growth of my students.
Want to be equally interested in my professional growth, as in the professional growth of my colleagues.
Am not here to compete with my colleagues, even if they contest me, I am choosing not to contest back.
Don’t want to be managed, I want to be led.
Don’t want to manage, I want to lead.
Don’t want my students to follow me, but to believe in themselves.
Try to give more than take.
Try my best to foster safety and inclusivity in the classroom and workspace.
Believe in students' highest potential.
Am not expecting students to agree with me.
Am not delivering the information to the students, but assisting them with its interpretation.
Promise to always learn, change, apologize if I am wrong.
Plan the ending, when taking over a new position.
Consciously chosen all steps across my studying and work trajectory, because I want to be here
and I promise myself and my family to leave if I don’t feel this way anymore.
Don’t want to think outside the box, but to always know that there is no box.
Don’t want my students to think outside the box, but to always know that there is no box.
Want to be equally interested in my personal growth as in the personal growth of my students.
Want to be equally interested in my professional growth, as in the professional growth of my colleagues.
Am not here to compete with my colleagues, even if they contest me, I am choosing not to contest back.
Don’t want to be managed, I want to be led.
Don’t want to manage, I want to lead.
Don’t want my students to follow me, but to believe in themselves.
Try to give more than take.
Try my best to foster safety and inclusivity in the classroom and workspace.
Believe in students' highest potential.
Am not expecting students to agree with me.
Am not delivering the information to the students, but assisting them with its interpretation.
Promise to always learn, change, apologize if I am wrong.
Plan the ending, when taking over a new position.
Consciously chosen all steps across my studying and work trajectory, because I want to be here
and I promise myself and my family to leave if I don’t feel this way anymore.
Join me on reflecting teaching failures.
Sometimes I have rubbish sessions and this is okay.
Sometimes I have rubbish meetings and this is okay.
Sometimes I feel guilty about grading and this is okay.
Sometimes I plan something, but it doesn’t work out, and this is okay.
Sometimes I think I know better, but then it turns out that I didn’t, and this is okay.
Sometimes my students or colleagues are depressed and I can’t see it, and this is okay.
Sometimes I am depressed and my students and colleagues can’t see it, and this is okay.
Share your teaching failures with me in the 'space for educators' section.
Sometimes I have rubbish sessions and this is okay.
Sometimes I have rubbish meetings and this is okay.
Sometimes I feel guilty about grading and this is okay.
Sometimes I plan something, but it doesn’t work out, and this is okay.
Sometimes I think I know better, but then it turns out that I didn’t, and this is okay.
Sometimes my students or colleagues are depressed and I can’t see it, and this is okay.
Sometimes I am depressed and my students and colleagues can’t see it, and this is okay.
Share your teaching failures with me in the 'space for educators' section.
is a space to walk our different journeys together. website is developed by kunta ayubi. book covers and motion graphics designed by allan lopez. all plant images come from a community garden digital project. students retain the copyright for their essays published in the student blog section. any unauthorized reproduction of these works constitutes academic dishonesty.
Thanks for visiting!
© 2024
© 2024
AM's EduSphere
AM's EduSphere
AM's EduSphere
AM's EduSphere
AM's EduSphere
