Los estudios de formación docente y pedagógica en Canadá y España: cambios programáticos e institucionales en el escenario de internacionalización de la educación

Abstract

This article provides a historical review of the preparation of teachers and educators in Canada and compares it with the situation in Spain, within the context of the forces that influenced the transformation of the educational systems. The analysis pays particular attention to the institutional and programmatic changes at the end of the twentieth century and currently. It is argued that in spite of the historical specificity of each country, there are important converging themes and issues. One of the common issues has been the debate on the nature of pedagogical knowledge, the emphasis on the re-articulation of theory and practice, and the production of knowledge in action. It is not just an epistemological debate, but one to be placed in the perspective of internationalization and economic globalization. In Canada, tensions in the processes involving teacher preparation derive from contradictions emerging from the penetration of the market economy in the education domain in general and in higher education in particular. At the same time, in Spain the reforms that aimed at aligning the preparation to the European Higher Education Area has been sold under the idea of a change of academic culture that should center the activity on the students and the employers needs. It becomes imperative that we rethink and redefine our work within the new context in light of our academic core values rather than engaging ourselves in sterile and paralyzing critiques and political statements.