Yep I said what I said. This is a topic that drives me mad.
In academia, the teaching versus research mindset is common, yet it’s also deeply flawed. The belief that you have to choose between being a “good teacher” and a “serious researcher” creates unnecessary division - amongst colleagues and mentally for you. But the truth is, you can excel in both areas.
The Myth of the Dichotomy
In many departments, there’s a division between those focused on teaching and those focused on research. This is especially true in departments with a lot of precarity—where short-term contracts for teaching staff dominate. These teaching-focused academics often feel they have to prove their worth by dedicating themselves exclusively to teaching, fearing that research will not lead to career advancement. This creates a toxic environment, where teaching and research are seen as opposing forces.
At the same time, there’s a growing narrative that those who prioritise research are somehow morally inferior. The idea is that “good” academics care about students and teaching, while “bad” ones focus on research and are seen as out of touch with student needs. This idea not only creates division within departments, but it also fosters guilt for those who enjoy research but care deeply about teaching.
Teaching and Research: Different But Not Opposing
In reality, the ability to be an effective teacher and an accomplished researcher is not only possible, it’s essential for academic success. The misconception that these two roles are mutually exclusive needs to be dismantled. Teaching is vital to the academic experience, but research is equally important to career progression, particularly for those on teaching and research contracts.
As an academic, you can be committed to both teaching and research without compromising one for the other. In fact, when managed properly, these roles can complement each other, and research-informed teaching can benefit both the students and the academic’s career.
The Real Challenge: TRAINING, Not Morality
The key to succeeding in both areas is training. Many academics are not trained to teach and therefore they internalise the idea that spending endless hours in preparation, over-preparing for classes or constantly revising content is what makes a good teacher. But it doesn’t. A lack of training makes you think way because you don’t have other more useful proxies for measuring commitment or success. Think about that. This isn’t about you.
Efficient teaching means focusing on student outcomes and their intellectual growth rather than obsessing over the amount of time spent preparing.
The same applies to research. Effective research doesn’t require working endlessly without breaks; it requires structured and focused effort. It requires good training. A writing habit, a proper research process and system, great editing skills, proper ideation, great technique at articles, books, or grants, imbibing the formulas so you are making good decisions, creating and protecting pipelines. So many skills needed, none taught to you.
If you are serious about becoming a better teacher and researcher, you can come into my Collective and realiagn this narrative into one derived from training. You will have the skills and you will understand the difference between effectiveness and effort.