Self-Orientation Processes for Re-skilling and Up-skilling: An example in the Profes-sional Development of Teachers

Abstract

This study explores the functioning of reorientation and self-orientation mechanisms, specifically within the context of a cohort of teachers in training within the Special Education Teacher Training Program (Special Pedagogy Course). The motivations of the trainees to undertake a costly and demanding educational path, their expectations in terms of professional skills to be strengthened through the course, and their conceptions of the specialized teacher's professional profile are analyzed. Through the analysis of data collected through questionnaires, it has been highlighted how self-orientation can be a lifelong and life-wide process, helping individuals identify their own skills and aspirations, connecting them to personalized educational processes. The study particularly emphasizes the identity, emotional, and reflective dimensions that impact professional reorientation processes, revealing very close connections between a professional project and a life project.

Keywords:  Self-orientation, reorientation, life project, teacher professionalization