Expression of preschool education teachers’ experiential learning in an organization: involvement into the process and types of knowledge

Straipsnyje analizuojama ikimokyklinio ugdymo pedagogų patirtinio mokymosi organizacijoje žinių reikšmingumo problema, pagrindžiama mokymosi organizacijoje esmė, įsitraukimo svarba. Konceptualizuojant šiuos konstruktus parenkamos tyrimo priemonės, o atlikto tyrimo duomenys leido išskirti įsitraukimo į patirtinį mokymąsi organizacijoje ypatybes, nustatyti žinių tipus ir apibūdinti jų reikšmingumą. Tyrimo išvados yra reikšmingos įgalinant pedagogų patirtinio mokymosi procesus organizacijoje.The changes in the labour market have stimulated political, scientific and practical discussions about lifelong learning and the demands of a learning society. In such a world knowledge and skills become a product of the highest quality. Individual’s ability to rapidly and effectively employ knowledge important for professional activity in a constantly changing environment is becoming a value. In the article applying the principles of the theories of a learning organization and experiential learning an educational institution is perceived and investigated as an organization implementing the strategy of teachers’ experiential learning in an organization, where child’s high-quality (self-)education becomes an aspiration. Experiential learning in an organization that takes place in the process of teacher’s everyday activity is important both for an employee and for an educational institution if it is purposeful, meaningful and useful for both parties. Teachers while learning want to acquire knowledge, test its importance in improving the quality of professional activity and learning, strive to understand the prospect of change and improvement. In the process of experiential learning teachers gain knowledge of three types: professional, methodical and personal. In the field of professional knowledge the most important knowledge is such knowledge that is focused on the improvement of pedagogical activity (psychological, methodical, ecological, ICT, legal literacy, organizational) and on the improvement of the skills of communication and collaboration with learners’ parents and colleagues and of involving parents into the educational process). The results of the research reveal that preschool education teachers while learning through experience consider the knowledge focused on a child and the improvement of the contents of education as important because in the process of preschool education a child is the main object, therefore, teachers record knowledge that helps them constantly improve the process of education and strive for the quality of everyday activity. In the teachers’ opinion, the least useful is personal knowledge that helps to change personal attitude towards the implementation of innovations in an institution, prioritization in the workplace, ability to appreciate criticism from colleagues, to perceive that before planning to apply new ideas it would be useful to test them himself/herself. The knowledge that reflects the implementation of a child-focused paradigm is especially important for teachers