Professional-lifelong Education and Training of Teacher: A Significant Perspective and Hard Challenge for the Development of School System

Abstract

The public debate stimulated by the publication of several both national and international researches on schools and teachers urges the investigation of pedagogical thinking around the selection, training and education of teachers in the perspective of lifelong learning supported by a – consistent and appropriate – system design. The aim of this reflection paper is to stress pedagogical reflection and educational research about the crucial role of selection, education, training of teacher – with focus on primary teacher education – and of “continued construction” of their qualifications in relation to the very fast-changing social and cultural, as well as the important issue concerning the quality of teaching and training. This is achievable if the initial training and in-service training are designed, planned, implemented as part of a system of vocational training in the teaching profession. This type of teacher training will guarantee to have an education for all children and to make teachers efficiently able to stimulate children themselves toward a lifelong learning and education perspective too. Reflections are deepened with a systemic-relational approach and hermeneutic, heuristic and critical method, suggesting university as possible key institution – not the only, of course – to think about and plan a new system of teacher education and education of teacher in a life-professional-long perspective.