Inequalities, injustice and oppression are inhuman
characteristics of our human world. Unequal power relations exist and persist between
different regions of the world, and between different groups in society. The
last economic crisis has worsened the situation, and has affected the most
vulnerable ones. In the view of alleged development, austerity politics have deteriorated
the life conditions of millions, and aggravated inequalities. Education is
encapsulated in these tendencies. Unequal power relations exist between all
participants in the educational process, and the sector of education suffered
all the bad consequences of the crisis. However, it is a strong conviction of
many that education should contribute to the transformation of society by
counteracting inequalities and by acting for the construction of more
democratic and just societies. Educational practice and research cannot be
neutral, but should be based on a vision of social justice. There are different
interpretations of social justice, but there is a shared hope among many
committed practitioners and researchers that by combating injustice in its
different forms education can foster equality, equity and democracy in our
smaller and larger social contexts. Teacher
education intended as the whole process of teachers’ development has a crucial
role in this process of change. Power
relations must be highlighted in teacher education, and teachers must be
prepared to answer the challenges of unjust contexts and to contribute to the
transformational processes.
Unequal power relations are inherently connected to
differences, and are based on membership of social groups such as social class,
gender, perceived ethnicity, and so on. In the last decades, more and more
differences were recognized in education (cultural, social, racial, ethnic,
gender, sexual orientation, language, ability and so on), and diversity has
become an important concept in education, while cross-cultural
misunderstandings, prejudices and processes of ‘othering’, bullying and
exclusion are still present in schools and education systems. Teachers and
therefore teacher education have a strong responsibility to acknowledge,
challenge and overcome these tendencies.
The goal of this conference is to foster professional
debate and discussion among researchers and other stakeholders especially
around the following questions:
- How are social inequalities reflected, present and represented in teacher education, teachers’ work and professional development?
- What are the interpretations of diversity present in teacher education, and how do they influence teachers’ view and work?
- What is the role of teacher diversity in the educational process?
- How can teacher education and teachers’ work contribute to the transformation of unequal and unjust school and social contexts?
- What are the tendencies in Europe and worldwide of teacher education and professional development policies, and how can they be analysed and evaluated from the perspective of social justice and diversity?
- What are teachers’ views on social justice and diversity and what is the impact of these views on students’ life and performance?
