The Role of Research concerning Teacher Training in Portugal - Present situation and Future Projects This work is based on an analysis of the Portuguese education system concentrating on two aspects: (i) the importance attached in the official basic school programmes and curricula to arts subjects such as Music Education, Visual and Technological Education, Dance and Drama; (ii) teacher training in these particular subject areas. Concerning the first topic, there has been a distinct lack of consistency in Portuguese education policy and scant systematic evaluation of the various reforms in arts teaching. In effect this has meant an impoverished national artistic culture and a barely disguised indifference and even discrimination towards artistic expression. The second topic is related to the evolution of the teaching/learning concept and consequently of the social and political status of the competent professional. An adjustment of the higher education institutions responsible for the teachers training, a re-defining of the profile and competences of teacher trainees, is needed. Concerning the preparation of teachers in the areas of artistic expression, it has to be noted that such teacher training is relatively recent and has not been systematically evaluated in its full range - in the four above-mentioned subject areas. There is a lack of content as well as process. This report seeks fundamentally to change this reality, seeking solutions to the first problem and also encouraging teachers to make use of reflective practice. Thus a visual concept can be defined, enabling teachers to be more thoroughly trained and motivated. In this context, various phases of a model will be proposed and developed, results obtained, difficulties discovered and the future perspectives revealed.