Ethical and pedagogical competence of the teacher in personal training and building a community of practice

Abstract

Given the historical and social significance of the current times, a new educational impetus is needed in schools, provided not least through the work of the teacher, who must responsibly take on the role both of facilitator, regarding the education of individual students, and at the same time, of a professional expertly capable of contributing to the reconstruction of a democratic citizenship. This calls for discernment in epistemological and didactic aspects of teaching, but also in ethical and political spheres. It is essential that teachers acquire competence in ethical and pedagogical areas from the start of their training, so that they are able to identify values and attitudes, shared by others in the profession, which can be translated into ethical and social education in schools. These ethical capabilities also enable teachers to build a community of practice, as a constitutive element of professional identity, with the ideal of life-long training in view. The practices in which the teacher is involved call for adherence to an ethic of responsibility that must be developed by everyone working in education, not individually, but collectively and adopting a reflective approach, nurturing a community of teaching professionals ready to avow, express and take on pedagogical and educational values that will shape the direction of learning in school.