Teachers’ informal learning and organizational learning in Spain

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study is to focus on the informal learning (IL) processes of teachers in primary and secondary schools in Spain. Its objective is to study the strategies currently used by teachers to generate IL, identifying the factors that condition such learning and the changes that must be introduced to enhance it. Design/methodology/approach The methodology is qualitative, with information from interviews with school principals (n = 21) and teachers (n = 60) from 22 primary and secondary schools in Spain and from 3 discussion groups with experts (n = 17). The topics used refer to strategies to generate and promote IL and its conditioning factors. Findings The findings suggest that, regardless of the stage (primary/secondary) and ownership of the centre (state/private), the teaching staff use IL strategies that, beyond individual actions, involve meeting, sharing and reflecting with other teachers. The challenge is that IL facilitates both professional development and the development and improvement of the organizations. School principals play a central role in achieving this relationship and promoting the institutionalization of changes and educational administration in facilitating the right conditions for their development and recognition. Research limitations/implications Given that the participation of schools in the research was voluntary, as was that of the teachers who agreed to be interviewed, some bias may exist. To refine the analyses it would also have been interesting to contrast with the people interviewed some of the assessments which appeared in the focus groups. Finally, future work might focus on analysing in greater detail the effect of different management styles on IL. Practical implications The results presented point to the need for decisive support from school leadership teams for collaborative work processes and joint reflection, which are one of the basic conditions for facilitating IL and, at the same time, for encouraging organizational learning. Furthermore, in the Spanish context, there is the challenge of combining the participation of teachers in formal training actions with the recognition of IL generated in the development of daily professional activity. Originality/value The data provided complements and reaffirms the findings of research carried out in other types of organizations, at the same time highlighting the importance of horizontal relationships among education professionals and the difficulty of creating a solid foundation for organizational changes. Improvements are, on the other hand, highly conditioned by the role adopted by school principals.

Schoolteachers' experiences of knowledge sharing when teaching new education programs

“…The teachers inform that they collaborate by asking for help through text messages, receiving inspiration and advice in-between classes and inheriting a colleague’s notes. These types of collaboration are examples of informal learning in the workplace (Cunningham and Hillier, 2013), and they appear to be aligned with other studies that have also found these types of collaboration and knowledge sharing among teachers that contributed to improving teaching practices (Kyndt et al , 2016; Sallán et al , 2022). These small acts of knowledge sharing appear to be interrelated with everyday work and are a way of working together with other teachers.…”

“…A study by Lecat et al (2019) found that primary and secondary school teachers' informal learning consisted of learning from co-workers' experiences by observing, asking for advice and having discussions. Similarly, other studies show that teachers benefit from such sharing of information and knowledge, as it improves their professional practice, and this is possible when teachers have the opportunity to collaborate (Patton and Parker, 2017;Rismark and Sølvberg, 2011;Sall an et al, 2022). As a source of learning, knowledge sharing appears to occur through different collaborative activities.…”

“…The social environment influences teachers’ knowledge sharing and informal learning in terms of how the workplace and co-workers are perceived as supportive and as a resource (Grosemans et al , 2015). As such, a social environment that is perceived as supportive, safe and open is more likely to encourage knowledge sharing among teachers (Mawhinney, 2009; Patton and Parker, 2017; Sallán et al , 2022).…”

“…One source of informal learning in the workplace comprises various types of knowledge sharing (Gerken et al, 2018). Studies have shown that knowledge sharing among teachers takes place through collaborative practices involving discussion, reflection and information exchange (Lecat et al, 2019;Rismark and Sølvberg, 2011;Sall an et al, 2022;Schad, 2019). The presence of such practices relates to teachers' workplace learning in communities of practice (CoPs) (Patton and Parker, 2017).…”

Teachers' intrinsic and extrinsic motivation as mediators of the effect of principals' perceived distributed leadership on organizational learning capability

“…Third, principals are advised to promote distributed practices and intrinsic motivation in their leadership work. A recent qualitative study conducted in Spain indicates that connecting teachers' interests with work can promote organizational learning (Gairín Sallán et al. , 2022).…”