The Laboratory Approach in Initial Secondary School Teacher Training

Abstract

This article examines the opportunity, as well as the necessity, of integrating laboratory-based approaches into the initial training of secondary school teachers, in light of their dual formative value. The laboratory is conceived as a formative tool insofar as it fosters the acquisition and enhancement of emotional and relational competencies, which are fundamental to the teacher–student educational interaction. Moreover, it emerges as a formative objective when it promotes the learning of an effective teaching method applicable both to subject-specific instruction and to education for sociality and relationality. Through laboratory practice, the development of multiple competencies is pursued for teachers in training and for their future students alike—competencies that can be traced back to the pedagogical categories of intentionality, reflexivity, self-awareness, and inclusivity.