Health education in the teacher training perspective - The areas of changes

Abstract

Purpose. To question the possibility of following the Education for change model in contemporary schools is, in fact, to question the teachers' professionalism and readiness to introduce changes. Professionalism involves a constant building up of processual knowledge based on academic education. It allows the teacher to build up the necessary competence to function effectively in open educational situations. The term vocation is limited to a set of closed, predefined skills which one can acquire by modeling and repetition. These are patterns of behavior in schematically perceived school situations. This view of the teacher's role limits the possibilities for the modification of those patterns. Basic procedures. I discuss the readiness of teachers in terms of their professional knowledge as well as in the context of the (im)possibility of realizing the tasks and goals of health education. I focus on the structure of this general, professional and normative knowledge. Due to its quality changes can be introduced in the educational process. This is connected to the question of understanding, and forms the basis for the teacher's conscious decisions. Results. The issues which the teacher has to confront with his or her professional knowledge are subjective in character. They relate to the creation of good relations between the teacher and the pupil. They are connected to the learning environment which, in turn, conditions the pupil's own level of activity and involvement. In this article I also discuss the conditions related to the building up of the pupil's senses of subjectivity and competence. Conclusions. Based on the above, I point out three complementary areas for the necessary changes in the preparation of health educators. The change goes from the perception of oneself as an object steered from the outside to the perception of oneself as an active subject of the occurring changes.