Epistemology of praxis in teacher education: a critical emancipatory perspective

Abstract

Based on reflections that study the paradigms of theoretical rationality, technical rationality and the epistemology of practice in teacher education, this article discusses epistemological presumptions that can contribute to re-elaborating perspectives about teacher education. With a conceptual reference based on epistemology of praxis, the paper presents a proposal for teacher education, based on four elements: i) organizing teacher education based on the epistemology of praxis; ii) relating teacher education to debates about education policy; iii) recognizing that the work of teaching shapes the professional being; iv) using the National Common Base Curriculum as a reference that comprehends the epistemological, political and professional meanings of teacher education. The study used bibliographic research for theoretical support about teacher education and various empirical studies (CURADO SILVA, 2008, 2014 and ROCHA, 2015), which contribute to the construction of a critical emancipatory perspective.  It found that because of the nature of their work, teachers need a high level education of a scientific, artistic, ethical and technical nature. This requires both practical and theoretical activities to be able to construct the meaning of praxis as a transformative action sustained by an understanding of reality and reflection, which strengthens the historic meaning of educational action to support emancipation.