Artisans of post-modern teaching. Outlining a proposal for their formation

Abstract

The origins of the teaching profession together with the genesis of the modern school provide us with the defining features of teachers’ education. Some of these features have evolved while others have remained intact. It is quite common for the teacher-training models and training practices to suffer from a disassociation of theory and practice, of thought and action. Even in the most updated curricula of the region, the realm destined to the transmission of formalized knowledge has become increasingly complex, while the «practice» has tended to adhere more closely to its original conception, which identified it with «doing», i.e., with applying the knowledge acquired elsewhere.

In this article we hold that difficulties or obstacles detected in current teaching are due fundamentally to the fact that teachers and professors have not truly learned their craft. We outline an approach to training that places value on knowledge gained from experience, and we propose training methods that help overcome the classical dichotomy between theory and practice, knowledge and application, thought and action. We also bring back approaches such as modelling and vocation-as-commitment, providing teachers with new understandings that will better enable them to carry out their profession in today’s educational scenarios