- The field of teaching in North America, at both primary and secondary levels, has been the object of renewed questioning. For some, the way to remediate various weak- nesses and to give new spirit to the school is through a professionalization. A necessary condition in attaining this objective is to accentuate the professional character of initial teacher training. This analysis examines the legitimacy of the professionalization move- ment, criticizes the relation between this and current training models and emerging approaches, and finally, suggests a profile of various components for future professional practices.