In all education settings, the challenge of enhancing teaching capability to achieve better learning outcomes is complex and multifaceted. In the context of early grade education in Cambodian schools, this is especially the case. Cambodian education is like the "perfect storm" of challenges. This research addresses the question of teacher professional development in the context of early grade education in Cambodia. It aims to investigate how teachers in Cambodia, specifically Battambang Province, can be enabled to improve their teaching practice and engage in a path of professional development. It focuses on the tasks and challenges of building teacher professional identity--how teachers see themselves and how this may be transformed over time. Teacher professional identity is considered a core enabler for a wider framework of teaching capability and competence. Effective teaching requires a disposition for practice in a continuous cycle of professional improvement. Employing a design-based learning approach, the study comprises two rounds of data collection to inform design iterations development and delivery of two professional identity workshops. The outcomes may be described in terms of three broad areas of inquiry: first, to identify an appropriate framework to facilitate early grade Cambodian teachers to develop their professional identity and thereby enhance their classroom practice; second, to design and deliver customized workshops, activities, and resources in line with the framework; and third, to further develop the practical research skills and capabilities of the collaborating partners so that the work can continue in the future. This is an early synthesis of the results from this project.