Developing a Model of Factors Constituting the Experiential Learning for Teachers

抄録

The purpose of this study is to elucidate the characteristics of experiential learning for teachers in conjunction with the context of educational practice in order to develop a model of factors contributing to such learning. For this purpose, we have conducted two research studies. In the first study, we interviewed school principals with extensive administrative experience in education. The results of the interviews have shown us that it is possible to view teacher learning from the point of view of an “attitude for learning through experience” and that their awareness of this attitude along with a small adjustment of it within their community becomes a key. Based on this finding, a model of experiential learning for teachers has been developed. In the second study, the life histories of three teachers―one young, another middle-aged, and yet another, a veteran teacher―were analyzed on the basis of the experiential learning model developed in the first study. As a result of the second study, it has been made clear that whether a teacher learns from experience depends on the teacher’s attitude in his/her teaching community. Thus, the key for opening up an amenable attitude for teachers’ experiential learning is to take into consideration the community both inside and outside of their profession, in such a way as to transfer teachers to other schools in addition to persuading them to evaluate their own practice. Further, we indicated the validity and possibility of improving the model.