Teacher Competencies in the 21st Century: Towards a Complex Capabilities Approach in Contexts of Uncertainty
Teacher Competencies in the 21st Century: Towards a Complex Capabilities Approach in Contexts of Uncertainty
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.925152623048
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Palavras-chave: formação de professores, capacidades complexas, competências, inteligência artificial, profissionalismo docente, incerteza
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Keywords: teacher education, complex capabilities, competencies, artificial intelligence, teacher professionalism, uncertainty
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Abstract: The rapid expansion of digital technologies, globalisation processes, and particularly the emergence of artificial intelligence have fundamentally transformed the conditions under which knowledge is produced, circulated, and legitimised. These structural shifts challenge traditional frameworks for understanding teaching and raise critical questions about the adequacy of competency-based approaches that have dominated educational policy and teacher education over recent decades. While the competency paradigm has contributed to moving beyond content-centred models toward applied knowledge, its operationalisation has often resulted in fragmented and standardised representations of teaching practice. This article argues that such approaches are insufficient to account for the complexity, uncertainty, and situated nature of contemporary teaching. In response, it proposes the concept of complex capabilities as a more robust analytical and practical framework. Complex capabilities are defined as dynamic, integrative, and context-sensitive configurations that combine cognitive, socio-emotional, and ethical dimensions, enabling teachers to act meaningfully in uncertain and evolving environments. Drawing on a critical review of literature published between 2019 and 2025, alongside key international educational frameworks, the paper reconceptualises the teacher as a designer of learning experiences operating within structurally uncertain contexts. The analysis demonstrates that the shift from competencies to complex capabilities represents not merely a terminological adjustment but a deeper epistemological transformation that repositions professional judgment, reflexivity, and ethical responsibility at the core of teacher professionalism. The article concludes by discussing implications for teacher education, policy design, and future research, emphasising the need to develop frameworks capable of accommodating complexity without reducing it to measurable fragments.
- Tulio Barrios Bulling