Teacher training for holistic education prepares teachers to design experiences that bring together learning, social interaction, inclusion, and community participation. It includes both preservice and ongoing professional development, connecting students’ needs with professional skills and each school’s specific priorities.
In holistic education, this connection guides work with curriculum, assessment, and inclusive practices. Training can also develop social-emotional skills, as long as they are taught through real learning situations rather than as stand-alone activities.
What is teacher training, and what are its stages?
Teacher training is the combination of study and experience that develops the knowledge needed to teach. It includes pedagogical knowledge, subject-matter expertise, an understanding of students, and the ability to reflect on one’s own decisions.
Preservice training, typically completed through a teacher preparation program, provides the theoretical and practical foundations for entering the profession. Ongoing professional development takes place throughout a teacher’s career and may include courses, study groups, peer observations, practitioner research, and collaborative planning.
In holistic education, these stages need to work together. A course is more relevant when it addresses challenges observed at school, offers strategies teachers can put into practice, and includes follow-up to assess what has changed. This allows the team to connect students’ holistic development with the skills teachers need to strengthen.
Legislation and foundations of teacher training
Law No. 9,394/1996, the Lei de Diretrizes e Bases da Educação Nacional (LDB), Brazil’s National Education Guidelines and Framework Law, establishes that teachers working in basic education must be trained at the higher-education level through a full licensure program. The law allows a secondary-level normal program—Brazil’s traditional teacher-training track—as the minimum qualification for teaching in early childhood education and the first five years of elementary school. It also provides for ongoing professional development for education professionals.
These provisions appear in Articles 62 and 62-A of the LDB. To consult the updated law, see Law No. 9,394/1996 on the Planalto Portal. Training implementation also depends on national guidelines and the rules of education systems, which should be considered when each school network plans its programs.
Paulo Freire contributes to this discussion by advocating an educational practice that is reflective, dialog-based, and connected to learners’ realities. In his work, teacher development is linked to critical reflection on practice and a willingness to keep learning. This perspective encourages teachers to listen to students and develop approaches connected to the school’s social context.
Teaching competencies and professional development planning
In holistic education, competencies matter when they address observable needs: unequal participation, learning challenges, barriers to access, or limited coordination across subject areas. Professional development planning can turn these issues into growth objectives and actions that can be monitored.
Holistic education need
Professional development activity
How to monitor progress
Connect subject areas with local experiences
Collaborative planning of interdisciplinary projects
Review lesson plans and student work
Support different learning paces
Study formative assessment, rubrics, and feedback
Review records, portfolios, and interventions
Increase participation and belonging
Study inclusion, diversity, and social interaction
Observe activities and listen to the school community
Use digital resources purposefully
Guided exploration of tools and accessibility analysis
Assess instructional use and barriers to access
To put these activities into practice, teachers need to connect learning objectives, content, and strategies. Lesson sequences can connect classroom knowledge to everyday situations through inquiry-based activities and projects. Collaboration with teachers in other subject areas and alignment with educational guidelines help ensure that different approaches are consistent.
Formative assessment supports this work by drawing on varied evidence, such as observations, conversations, portfolios, and student work. Feedback should guide next steps, while records help the team identify who needs support and which strategies may need revision.
Read also: Soft Skills in Teacher Training: More Than Technical Knowledge
Other important competencies include communication, listening, and fostering positive relationships. Clear communication with students, families, and colleagues helps create a welcoming learning environment. Clear routines, agreements made with the class, and conflict mediation support participation and shared responsibility.
Inclusive practices require attention to barriers that limit access to the curriculum. The team can study accommodations, accessibility resources, and assistive technology, as well as consult with specialists. Valuing local identities, cultures, and knowledge also strengthens belonging and broadens the perspectives represented in classroom activities.
Leia também: How to Design Competency-Based Curriculum Components
Ongoing professional development, public policy, and resources
School systems can strengthen professional development by assessing needs, setting aside time for study and planning, providing support from facilitators, and partnering with higher education institutions. Working conditions and financial resources affect whether these efforts can continue, so schedules, budgets, and objectives should be considered together.
Ongoing professional development tends to be most useful when it combines study with application. A team can examine a challenge, choose a strategy, try it in the classroom, and discuss the results at later meetings. Mentoring, peer observation, and practitioner research help turn the experience into shared professional learning.
Digital tools increase access to materials and courses, but they should be selected with accessibility, data protection, and available infrastructure in mind. Technology use should serve a clear instructional purpose; training can cover both critical resource selection and planning alternatives for students with limited access.
To find courses and platforms, consult the official websites of education departments, universities, and teacher-training institutions. Before enrolling, check who provides the training, its objectives, course content, length, methods, accessibility, and certification requirements. Also confirm whether it includes practical activities and follow-up, and whether it takes the grade level and school context into account. Course availability and terms may change, so confirm details directly with the institution.
When choosing a program, the team can compare options with the school’s needs assessment and decide how to evaluate the application of what participants learn. For example, training on interdisciplinary projects should set aside time for planning across subject areas and reviewing student work. This helps avoid choosing courses based only on their format or certificate.
Implementation and evaluation at school
A professional development plan can start with a specific question, such as how to increase participation in group activities or improve learning progress monitoring. The team then identifies the teaching competencies related to the challenge, selects a development activity, and agrees on when and how to observe its implementation.
To assess impact, track evidence that aligns with the objective: lesson plans, observation notes, student participation, portfolios, and feedback from teachers and families. Learning indicators can be considered alongside qualitative information, without attributing complex changes to a single course. Comparing results over time helps identify progress and areas where further support is needed.
Common pitfalls include offering content disconnected from the realities of the school, relying on theory-heavy presentations with no opportunity to apply what participants learn, and introducing technology without preparation or support. It is also important to account for diversity and inclusion from the planning stage. The team can review the effort using its records and adjust objectives, resources, and follow-up.
In-person, online, and hybrid approaches can meet different needs. The choice depends on the content, access conditions, and opportunities for interaction and practice.
Approach
Focus
Advantage
Limitation to consider
In-person
Interaction and collaborative practice
Direct exchange among participants
Travel and reach
Online
Access and flexibility
Ability to study at different times
Internet access and engagement
Hybrid
Combination of in-person meetings and remote activities
Brings study and interaction together
Requires planning and infrastructure
Legal and institutional sources help verify information before programs are organized or courses promoted. Consult the LDB on the Planalto Portal and publications from Brazil’s Ministry of Education. For Freire’s perspective, refer to Paulo Freire’s works and academic materials identified by title and author.
Frequently asked questions about teacher training
What is the difference between an educator and a teacher?
“Educator” is a broad term for someone involved in teaching, while “teacher” is the more common title for a professional who teaches at an institution or at a particular educational level. In everyday usage, the terms often refer to the same person; the specific meaning depends on the context.
How do I choose teacher training that fits my school’s needs?
Start with an assessment involving the team: identify challenges, grade levels served, and available resources. Then compare the course objectives and content with those needs, check the provider’s credibility, and confirm that the program includes practical activities and follow-up. It should explain how participants will test what they learn and assess the results in their school context.
When planning next steps, the school can connect each student development priority with teaching competencies, professional development activities, and evidence for monitoring progress. This approach can also support educators’ professional growth, alongside teaching career initiatives.
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