Teacher Education for the Twenty-First Century (and a post-pandemic world)

The Revista Brasileira de Linguística Aplicada (RBLA – The Brazilian Journal of Applied Linguistics) publishes its special issue on Teacher Education for the twenty-first century within the context of the COVID-19 pandemics. In April 2020, the world is grieving the loss of normalcy, the vulnerability of life, and the fear of economic decline. Amidst a global crisis and closed schools and campuses, the world is facing the challenge of providing remote education for children, teenagers, and adults. 2020 is a time that leads teacher educators to, once more, rethink the roles of teachers and teacher education for the twenty-first century. The wounds of humanity have been opened by the spread of a virus, exposing persistent inequalities based on race, gender, and social class. It is time to bolster our demands for social justice education, technology equity, and our commitment to human rights. Global populations are facing fear, anxiety, and grief. Uncertainties coexist with reflections upon meanings of a worldwide calamity. Ideological and political representations are tacit to conversations about capitalism, globalization, and even some xenophobic conspiracy theories. As a witness of this unfortunate historical moment, we are compelled to create meanings within the fields of applied linguistics and educational research. What lessons are there for us to learn? What challenges do teachers, learners, families, and communities are facing that research can help to overcome? This issue of RBLA is not about the pandemic or the horror it causes. It is about the future, as much as it is about the present. The joy and hope that Paulo Freire sees as a requirement for teaching is the primary