On cultural and ethical-political education of teachers

The training of teachers as professional educators has been dominated by instrumental reason. Education policies based on managerialism, competitive school performance, evaluation standards and vocationalism have been stressing the need for a new type of teacher: a highly rational teacher with a strong technical profile. Training institutions have also changed their education projects for the preparation of teachers, now much based on new technologies and practical instruments for didactic action, for evaluations of all kinds, for the micro-management of classrooms and the measurement by tests, using standards and producing empirical evidence of their work. These instrumental tendencies and the risks involved in the process of didactization of teachers' education are criticized on the basis of the importance of a cultural and ethical-political education of teachers. The works by Paulo Freire have been chosen as the main source to reflect upon some of the basic demands for becoming a teacher according to a democratic and critical agenda. According to the Freirean perspective, the possible contributions resulting from an emancipatory and transformative education of professional educators will demand the capacity of combining technical, scientific and professional training with political education, dream and utopia.