In this article, we propose a cross-pollination of two prominent lines of educational thought: open education (OE) and threshold concepts (TCs). Open education has gained an increased profile through the growing popularity of open educational resources (OER) and massive online open courses (MOOCs). Educators who create or make use of such resources, or employ related open educational practices (OEP), are often suggested to have a transformative impact in educational settings. In recent years, educational research has increasingly discussed learning as a process of attaining or crossing certain conceptual thresholds, which involve such a significant shift that the learner eventually achieves a different and deeper understanding of core disciplinary knowledge, even a new identity. Of the eight characteristics of TCs identified in the core literature of this theory, we consider that three in particular offer the maximum potential for understanding the evolution of teachers towards the open educator identity: transformative, troublesome and liminal. This work presents a theoretical framework that includes the transformative impact on identity in the process of becoming an open educator, the troublesomeness inherent in this evolution and the liminal space through which the evolving teachers progress. It is argued that a focus on the development of open educator identity aligns with current reflective approaches to working on teachers’ professional identity, and at the same time supports a focus on teachers’ commitment to a democratic approach to education, which is necessary in neoliberal times.

中文翻译：

---

成为开放的教育者：走向开放的门槛框架

在本文中，我们提出了两种突出的教育思想路线的交叉授粉：开放教育（OE）和门槛概念（TC）。通过开放教育资源（OER）和大规模在线开放课程（MOOC）的日益普及，开放教育的知名度得到了提高。经常建议创建或利用此类资源或采用相关的开放式教育实践（OEP）的教育工作者在教育环境中产生变革性影响。近年来，教育研究越来越多地将学习视为达到或超越某些概念阈值的过程，这涉及到如此重大的转变，以至于学习者最终对核心学科知识甚至新身份有了不同而更深刻的理解。在该理论的核心文献中确定的TC的八个特征中，我们认为，尤其是三个，具有最大的潜力来理解教师向开放教育者身份的演变：变革性，麻烦性和局限性。这项工作提出了一个理论框架，其中包括成为开放教育者过程中对身份的变革性影响，这种演变中固有的麻烦以及不断发展的教师进步的限度空间。有人认为，关注开放教育者身份的发展与当前思考教师职业身份的反思方法是一致的，同时也支持关注教师对民主教育方法的承诺，这在新自由主义中是必要的次。我们认为，尤其是三个，提供了最大的潜力来理解教师向开放教育者身份的演变：变革性，麻烦性和局限性。这项工作提出了一个理论框架，其中包括成为开放教育者过程中对身份的变革性影响，这种演变中固有的麻烦以及不断发展的教师进步的限度空间。有人认为，关注开放教育者身份的发展与当前思考教师职业身份的反思方法是一致的，同时也支持关注教师对民主教育方法的承诺，这在新自由主义中是必要的次。我们认为，尤其是三个，提供了最大的潜力来理解教师向开放教育者身份的演变：变革性，麻烦性和局限性。这项工作提出了一个理论框架，其中包括成为开放教育者过程中对身份的变革性影响，这种演变中固有的麻烦以及不断发展的教师进步的限度空间。有人认为，关注开放教育者身份的发展与当前思考教师职业身份的反思方法是一致的，同时也支持关注教师对民主教育方法的承诺，这在新自由主义中是必要的次。