Innovation in teaching and educational leadership: rethinking the role of teachers in twenty-first-century schools

The article explores the role of teachers in contemporary schools in light of the cultural and technological transformations taking place in today’s society. Through a critical review of the scientific literature, an analysis has been made of innovative teaching methods such as project-based learning, service learning and dialogic practices, highlighting their impact on student engagement, development of transversal skills and improvement of social inclusion. The reflection also focuses on the concept of distributed leadership, which promotes an educational community capable of integrating school, family and locality in a participatory and co-built formative process. Teachers emerge as facilitators of know-how, reflective practitioners and transformative intellectuals, capable of guiding students towards an active and conscious citizenship. Finally, the article underlines the importance of teachers’ continuing training in order to promote a pedagogy oriented towards dialogue, creativity and building essential skills to tackle the challenges of complexity.