Educational innovation and teacher professional growth

Abstract

The validity of teaching models may firstly depend on learning outcomes achieved by pupils; secondly, it might depend on the understanding developed by teachers—and consequently on the way they judge it. In order to increase the level of validity when teachers are concerned, it is suitable to construct a training structure able to guarantee an adequate level of support and at the same time to promote an autonomous application which is consistent with former professional practice. This article discusses a model of in-service teacher education based on two dimensions: a) “theoretical study versus practical application” b) “support versus autonomy”. The employed methodology was designed to handle projects of educational innovation based on integrated teaching models (ITM).