Rethinking teacher training in Cantabria (Spain): towards an ecosocial and sustainable education in response to ecosocial challenges

Abstract

Spain is currently in an initial phase of revision of teacher training curricula. Given the pressing ecosocial challenges of the present, the fundamental question arises as to what teachers should be like and the contribution that teacher education can make to this important collective challenge. In this context, this research, framed within a broader project, examines teacher education in the Faculty of Education of the University of Cantabria from an ecosocial perspective, employing a qualitative approach (this research is part of a project within the framework of the National R&D Plan (2019) entitled ?What are we forgetting in inclusive education? A participatory research project in Cantabria and the Basque Country? (PID2019-108775RB-C42). This is a coordinated project involving four teams, and the results presented here refer to the work carried out at the University of Cantabria). Through two focus groups and six semi-structured interviews involving 16 participants, including students and teachers, four priority areas for action are identified: the need to question the neoliberal influence on higher education and reaffirm its humanistic mission; the importance of integrating ecosocial contents in the curricula; the urgency of adopting collaborative and experimental approaches instead of traditional methodologies; and the need to consolidate collaborative networks among faculties and with the community environment.