Celestine Okafor

Formation of Teachers as Pastoral Agents Celestine Okafor

In many parts of the world, specific pre-service formation for Catholic school teachers does not exist. There are no templates for in-service which is supposed to supply for this lack. Moreover, research on teacher formation for pastoral agency in Catholic schools is a path less traveled. Any emphasis on teacher pastoral agency is often limited to the formation of religion teachers. This gives the impression that other teachers have no business with the pastoral dimension of the school. For these reasons and more, there is a dearth of literature on the formation of teachers as pastoral agents. This book analyzes these problems in view of proffering solutions to them. It presents recent research efforts on teacher formation for Catholic schools, covering the African, European and American contexts. It proposes The Holistic Teacher Formation Model (HTFM) as a template that could empower teachers as pastoral agents and competent professionals in the Catholic school. This book is, therefore, an invaluable resource for Catholic school administrators, teacher educators, teachers, Catholic scholars, and those who work with teachers in Catholic schools.