The knowledge of the epistemological, cultural and political movements which defined, from a historical perspective, the understanding of the field of teacher education can be a significant contribution to the practice of education. Understanding this process in its evolutionary dimension favors understanding the complexity of this field of knowledge and the multiple influences that are established in it. Therefore, this study aims to map and study the theoretical and practical trends which marked the understanding of teaching in Brazil, preferably in the period beginning in the second half of the twentieth century. The work recognizes its random condition and does not demand exclusivity. From the mapping done, it is concluded that the different theoretical and practical trends for teaching had a significant impact on educational research and this, in turn, also played a leading role in the paradigmatic changes that have hit teacher education. As the paradigm of technical rationality gave way to an understanding of the educational phenomenon as socially and culturally produced, there were significant changes in ways of producing knowledge in the education area. All the phases that mark the trends of the studies on teacher education have produced concepts and presented themselves as products and producers of educational actions, influencing and being influenced by policies, legislations and cultures.
Teacher education; Theoretical and practical trends for teaching; Policies on teacher education; Teacher professional development
