Non-academic learning in basic education teacher training

Abstract

This text analyzes the inclusion of non-academic learning in teacher training policy and its implications in teaching work, based on the experience of a group of basic education teachers who participate in a postgraduate degree in education in Northern Mexico The objective of the qualitative work was to make visible the non-academic learning related to the professional improvement of basic education teachers in order to determine lines of action for their inclusion in teacher training. The theoretical discussion was based on the ecologies of teacher training, soft skills and life skills. The study concludes that: there are significant advances in the incorporation of non-academic learning in teacher training, though, its accessory inclusion causes ambiguity in its implementation and evaluation; still, the teaching experience shows achievements in the development of interpersonal, cognitive and emotional skills. However, skills such as negotiation and teamwork require strengthening; Finally, the humanist paradigm, experiential learning, service-learning and research with social impact are recommended as alternatives to promote non-academic learning in the postgraduate teaching.