Professional knowledge of teachers: teacher training in two clusters of schools

Abstract

Professional knowledge has been understood in the sociology of professions as one of the distinctive elements of professional groups, as well as power resource. In Portugal, relatively to teachers’ training ways and modalities, both initial and continuing, met a significant investment and political decision-making. Those alterations were reflected partly, in the positioning of teachers in the most recent classification of professions. The search presented partially in this text joins to the issues of professional knowledge of teachers, particularly, in relation between theory and professional practice. Methodologically the results presented came from research conducted around the professional practice of teachers in context. Technically the analysis focuses on the analysis of two interviews (one related to situations observed in professional context, and another on training and professional career paths) made to basic education teachers, from two clusters of schools. It is concluded that for these teachers the training is central to the construction, mobilization and use of their professional knowledge in context.