ERIC Number: EJ1167710
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2018
Pages: 16
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1354-0602
EISSN: N/A
How Do Teachers Learn Together? A Study of School-Based Teacher Learning in China from the Perspective of Organisational Learning
Zhang, Xiaolei; Wong, Jocelyn L. N.
Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, v24 n2 p119-134 2018
Studies of professional development have examined the influence of school-based approaches on in-service teacher learning and change but have seldom investigated teachers' job-embedded learning processes. This paper explores the dynamic processes of teacher learning in school-based settings. A qualitative comparative case study based on the framework of organisational learning was conducted to analyse the ways that 17 teachers from two school-based communities in a secondary school in Shanghai, China, experienced learning through various learning activities. The findings showed that the two group teachers had actively developed implementation-oriented and experimentation-oriented processes of learning. The former process is referred to as exploitation learning. Exploitation learning helps teachers by creating a stable environment to learn the existing knowledge and norms of practice of a school organisation. The latter process is referred to as exploration learning. Exploration or exploratory learning provides a platform for new knowledge construction aimed at improving existing practices in a more radical way. Teachers' perceptions of and participation in school-based learning activities shape their learning experiences in different ways. Specifically, the support of school leaders is necessary to promote teachers' exploratory learning in school-based settings. However, the leadership strategies that best support teachers' learning require further investigation.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Faculty Development, Communities of Practice, Inservice Teacher Education, Qualitative Research, Comparative Analysis, Case Studies, Secondary School Teachers, Learning Activities, Learning Processes, Inquiry, Teacher Attitudes, Teacher Participation, Workplace Learning, Semi Structured Interviews, Observation, Documentation, Feedback (Response)
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Secondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: China
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A