Teachers’ informal learning and organizational learning in Spain

This article, written by Joaquín Gairín, Anna Díaz, Aleix Barrera and María del Mar Duran, focuses on the informal learning processes of teachers in primary and secondary schools in Spain. Its objective is to present an analysis of the strategies currently used by teachers to generate informal learning (IL), identifying the factors that condition this learning and the changes that must be introduced to improve it.

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.

The conclusions suggest that, regardless of the stage (primary / secondary) and the ownership of the center (state / private), teachers use IL strategies that, beyond individual actions, involve meeting, sharing and reflecting with other teachers. The challenge is for informal learning to facilitate both professional development and the development and improvement of organizations. School directors play a central role in achieving this relationship and promoting the institutionalization of changes; and the educational administration in facilitating the adequate conditions for its development and recognition.

The data provided complements and reinforces the findings of research conducted in other types of organizations, while highlighting the importance of horizontal relationships between education professionals and the difficulty of creating a solid foundation for organizational change. Improvements are, on the other hand, highly conditioned by the role of school directors.