Mahmoud Natout Doctoral Candidate / Instructor www.lebanese-initiative-for-teachers.blogspot.com Mahmoud Natout is a doctoral student in Educational Studies at the University of Oxford. After finishing his Masters in Theology (focusing on the historical interplay between the contested categories of 'science' and 'religion') at the University of Oxford in 2006, he worked as an instructor in the Humanities and Social Sciences at the Lebanese American University. His current research and career interests focus on teacher education and teacher personal and occupational development. Furthermore, Mahmoud is currently organizing, in conjunction with a group of teachers, academics and activists, a forum for teachers called the 'Lebanese Initiative For Teachers' (LIFT) that critically engages with the underlying challenges of teaching as an activity and an occupation in Lebanon. Mahmoud resides in Beirut and is currently an instructor in Cultural Studies at the Lebanese American University (LAU). About TEDx In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)