Leontiev’s Theory of Activity and Donald Schön’s Reflective Professor: reflections on teacher education

Abstract

The present theoretical essay intends to analyze Leontiev's Theory of Activity and Donald Schön's Theory of the Reflective Professor in order to understand the common points between them and in what way they can be related to the formation of teachers. Leontiev, a disciple of Vygotsky, understands that human development occurs in the work and in social relations established by men in their surroundings. For Schön, the training of teachers occurs in their practice and reflection on this pedagogical practice. By contrasting the assumptions of the two authors, we come to the conclusion that Donald Schön's reflective teacher's proposal is closely related to Leontiev's Theory of Activity by considering that the teacher improves when reflecting on his or her pedagogical practice and, therefore, at work, the main activity of his or her life. In this sense formation is in fact self-training, since teachers re-elaborate initial knowledge in comparison with their practical experiences, which are lived daily in school contexts.

Keywords

• teacher training; teaching; learning.