Jón Torfi became professor of education at the University of Iceland in 1993 and was Dean of the Faculty of Social Science, 1995-2001. In 2008 he became the Dean of the School of Education when it was merged with the University of Iceland. In recent years he has studied the problem of drop-out in Iceland, but has also written on all levels of education, i.e. pre-primary, compulsory, upper-secondary (both academic and vocational), higher education, teacher education and adult education, - in many cases from a comparative, esp. Nordic, perspective. His current interest is on teacher education, and how it might be restructured and how it should be characterised by professional development and not only pre-service education. This certainly begs the question about how systems of education develop, what moulds them, and in particular what might stall or spur their development. Recently he has been asking if the educational system is essentially preparing young students for the past, the present or for the future, and then for what future? This calls for a thorough discussion about the role and aims of education and the role of teachers. Currently he is participating in JustEd, the Nordic Centre of Excellence and cooperating closely with the Council of Europe, Pestalozzi programme.

@JonTorfiJonasso