Abstract

LEITAO, Álvaro. Toward a new professional culture: approaching complexity in initial primary school teachers training. Rev. Port. de Educação [online]. 2006, vol.19, n.2, pp.51-84. ISSN 0871-9187.

This article explores the emergent constructivist paradigm of complexity (Morin, 1994, s/d; Lerbet 1986, 2004; Le Moigne, 2002, 2003), the epistemology of the listening/controversial (Correia, 2001) and the critical experientialism (Alarcão, 2001a) as referential of professional competences to be developed in initial primary teacher education capable to face the new and continued challenges that occur in the present society, characterized by increasing complex transformations (Delors, 1996; Ornuda & Naval 2000; Martins, 2005). Taking the concept of professional competence (Le Boterf, 1999; DeSeCo, 2002) as a key idea, a reflective paradigm of education (Ferry, 1983; Schön, 1987; Zeichner, 1993, Perrenoud, 2004) is argued for. This paradigm surpasses the theory-practice positivist dichotomy through the articulation of scientific-based disciplinary knowledge and contextualised professional activity (Alarcão, 2002, 2003; Sá-Chaves, 2002; Perrenoud, 2002). It takes education as a self-regulating interactive process of complex, adaptable systems in confrontation: the social system that requires education and the personal system, the subject in the process of education (Lerbet, 2004).

Keywords : Teaching professionalism; Competence; Complexity; Reflection; Autonomy.

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