This article discusses the training of teachers of Professional and Technological Education in Brazil aiming to construct a professional culture, in light of the changes promoted by public policies for this type of education within the broader scenario of demands, constant changes and the global crisis of capitalism. The notion of culture provides the heuristic possibility of emphasizing the subjectivity of the players within a group which focuses on the members' relationship with knowledge. In fact, the shared information that links social practices with collective identities allows for reflective attitudes towards the knowledge which arises within the working context. To develop these ideas, the article is organized into four theses which focus on teachers of Professional and Technological Education: the first highlights the dilemmas and paradoxes experienced by these professionals; the second discusses the teachers' knowledge from the perspective of professional experience; the third deals with teaching identity in this type of course as an historical and culturally situated category and finally, the fourth thesis discusses the autonomy of teachers when faced with scientific and technological development and the regulations introduced by the managerial model of teaching institutions.
teacher education; technology; autonomy; culture