In the three teacher education (TE) programs presented in this round table, the authors discuss practices that challenge the status quo, exploring available spaces for teaching situated between the ideal and the real (Moreira & Vieira, 2012), i.e., exploring “possibilities within constraints.” Allow us to explain briefly the meaning of this last phrase. In several works, Michael Apple analyzes the reasoning behind the power of the neo-liberal and neo-conservative political agenda and the reasons why this agenda seems to prevail and remain powerful. However, Apple also challenges conservatism raising the following question: if the right has managed to accomplish such a political turn, why can’t progressive work to do the same? For him, “we must think possibility within constraint that is the condition of our time” (Apple, 2006: 28).

The assumption behind the three studies here is that education should be linked to collective work and the construction of humanist and socialist values, strongly anchored in research that looks for a balance between global and local concerns, research aims, themes and methods. It challenges dominant ideologies, which favor learning outcomes measured only by tests, leaving out dimensions of class, gender, ethnicity, or language, and attack TE programs with a focus on social justice and multiculturalism (Zeichner, 2012).

The paper onNorwaydraws upon analysis from comparative education in explaining why the Norwegian Arctic can provide some possibilities for resisting the neoliberal agenda. The Northern part of Norway is characterized by a great complexity of cultures and languages, indigenous, ethnic Norwegian, as well as immigrants and a history of majority dominance to the detriment of the indigenous Sami population, a situation that has now been remedied, although not totally eradicated. Norway, however, is a very wealthy modern welfare state with long tradition for support of human rights, all factors which add up to support a culture resistant to total submission to mainstream discourses. So far it has been more immune to the neoliberal agenda for competency-based TE, but the situation may be changing. The hegemony of forces is never complete and there is a need to form alliances across spaces to find and analyze the experience and conditions of counter-hegemonic forces (Dahlström, 2002). 

The paper fromBrazilfocuses on the Landless Workers Movement (MST), one of the largest social movements in Latin America that has struggled for agrarian reform as well as social and economic justice. The MST believes that it is not enough to struggle only for land; education is also an important dimension of the struggles. As a consequence, the movement has established pre-service and in-service teacher education programs for those who teach at schools in its settlements and encampments. The paper discusses the challenges and possibilities of teacher education programs linked to progressive social movements in their attempts to implement an effective social justice agenda.

The paper from Portugal explores the role of language (along with other factors such as poverty, ethnicity and culture) in determining the educational (under)achievement of migrant and ethnic minority children (Dooly & Vallejo, 2009; Ross, 2009). Against a background of social exclusion, poverty, low parental education, discrimination experiences, societal conflicts or school selection mechanisms, age-appropriate proficiency in the language of instruction is, not only  a literacy, but also a social justice and equity issue in the educational systems (Kosonen, Young & Malone, 2007; Council of Europe, 2009, 2012). Based on a study of an in-service TE program that integrates the teaching of academic language and language learning skills in mainstream classrooms across the curriculum, the paper identifies key-principles and strategies for social justice and culturally-responsive teaching and pedagogy (Gay, 2002) in urban schools.

Apple, M. (2006). Interrupting the right: On Doing Critical Educational Work in Conservative Times. In G. Ladson-Billings & W. F. Tate (eds.), Education research in the public interest. New York & London: Teachers College Press. 27-45. Bowman, M. & Gottesman, I. (April 2013). Making context visible: Towards a place-conscious approach to foundations in teacher preparation. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the AERA. San Francisco, CA. Council of Europe (2009). Council conclusions on the education of children with a migrant background, 2978th Education, Youth and Culture Council meeting, Brussels, November 26. Available at: http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/educ/111482.pdf Council of Europe/ European Centre for Modern Languages (2012). Learning through languages. 2012-2015 Programme. Promoting inclusive, plurilingual and intercultural education. Dahlström, L. (2002). Post-apartheid teacher education reform in Namibia. The struggle between common sense and good sense. Umeå: Umeå Universitet Pedagogiska Institutionen. Diniz-Pereira, J. E. (2013). “How the dreamers are born.” Struggles for Social Justice and the identity construction of activist educators in Brazil. New York: Peter Lang. Dooly, M. & Vallejo, C. (2009). Linguistic minorities thematic report. Educational policies that address social inequality (EACEA Action 6.6.2). London: IPSE, available online at: http://www.epasi.eu/ThematicReportLIN.pdf. Gay, G. (2002). Preparing for culturally responsive teaching. Journal of Teacher Education 53 (2), 106-116. Gruenewald, D.A. & Smith, G.A. (2008). Place-Based Education in the Global Age - Local Diversity. New York, London. Lawrence Erlbaum. Gulson, K.N. & Symes, C. (2007). Spatial Theories of Education. Policy and Geography Matters. New York and London. Routledge. Kosonen, K., Young, C. & Malone, S. (2007). Promoting literacy in multilingual settings. Bangkok: UNESCO. Available online at: http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0015/001507/150704e.pdf. Moreira, M. A. & Vieira, F. (2012). Preservice teacher education in Portugal: The transformative power of local reform. In J.M. Paraskeva & J. T. Santomé (Eds.), Iberian education and curriculum policies. New York: Peter Lang, 94-106. Ross, A. (2009). Educational policies that address social inequality: Overall report. London: IPSE. Retrieved April 2010 and available online at: http://www.epasi.eu/OverallReport.pdf. Schostak, J. & Schostak, J. (2008). Radical research: Designing, developing and writing research to make a difference. Routledge: London & New York. White, S. & Reid, J.A. (2008). Placing Teachers? Sustaining Rural Schooling through Place-consciousness in Teacher Education. Journal of Research in Rural Education 23 (7), 1-11. Zeichner, K. (2012). The turn once again toward practice-based teacher education. Journal of Teacher Education 63 (5), 376-382.