The Teaching Profession in the Twenty First Century

Abstract

We teach in the twenty-first century and, therefore, we need to understand the social, cultural and technological changes that are shaping the concept of education nowadays, its functions and the new role of teachers. This context also provides the background for new educational theories and methodologies that will impact on our teaching practice. Once we understand this framework, we need to focus on where we teach. Teaching can never be effective if the context of the school is not taken into account: its idiosyncrasy, its organisation, the legislation that rules it and its support network for students, teachers and families. The same emphasis must be placed on getting to know the students who we are going to teach. No individual is the same and no group is homogeneous: if we do not cater for a diverse range of needs we will not be offering students a fair opportunity to build their own knowledge and to make the most of their learning experience. All the above will determine how we teach, what objectives we set out to achieve, what contents we choose to work with, what skills and competencies we aim learners to develop and, finally, what kind of assessment will be necessary in order to offer an education, like Pérez Gómez (2003) defends, that creates meaningful learning for every student, or in other words, where priority is given to students´ diversity.