Re-contextualizing the gift in teacher education. Deasfrom communities of practice and peer teaching

Abstract

The paper aims to suggest how teacher education can today be seen as a field in which some aspects of anthropological theories of the gift can be re-contextualized. First, the paper will shortly describe the anthropological idea that the gift can be seen as a way to promote relationships with others. The paper will then outline the role that this idea of the gift can play in current educational environments, with special reference to the relevance of communities of practices within the field of teacher education. In this perspective, the paper will finally present some examples, drawing on an ongoing experience of peer teaching practices in preprimary and primary teacher education.