The purpose of this study is to analyze teachers' pedagogical cultures of special schools and discover and present new pedagogical cultures. Many differences were not discovered with pedagogical cultures of general teachers but some characteristics of...
The purpose of this study is to analyze teachers' pedagogical cultures of special schools and discover and present new pedagogical cultures. Many differences were not discovered with pedagogical cultures of general teachers but some characteristics of special teachers were discovered as a result of participant observation on teachers' school lives over all and analysis through depth interview. The results of this study are as follows.
First, teachers of special schools play more roles than general teachers and parents do by taking the responsibility for supervision and protection as wells as teaching activities. Thus, special teachers are required significant patience that general teachers can not have and knowledge of teaching methods and remediation that are proper for each individuals. So, I could observe that special teachers had great self confidence and senses of duty
Special teachers prioritized the relationship with students among human relations of students, co-worker teachers, parents of students, administrators, the staff of schools. Interest in and consideration for students tended to be more important in special schools than general schools so there were many cases that teachers are considerate of the disabled preferentially. And also I found that special teachers tried to care about relationship between parents of disabled students and assistants of special education and keep good relationship as the community and family of special education.
Second, I found that special teachers participated in various events of in and outside the school actively. Especially, they gave significant meanings to field trips that are made for improving living abilities functionally and skillfully and made much efforts to improve confidence and living abilities through field trips according to grade or class categories as well as games to seek for destinations. In addition, training of teachers was skill-centered and helpful for social life after graduations.
Tasks of teachers in the allotment of work load did not show many differences but there were many side effects such as giving less interest and consideration to students because of too much tasks on special teachers. Some students who are not good at self study could be left alone and teachers were stressed by it if some urgent tasks happened.
Third, there were three types such as promotion-oriented teachers, passive promotion-oriented teachers, teachers not interested in promotion. Young teachers showed high ratio of the third type relatively. And, Teachers showed positive and negative positions classified into age categories based on the gain of points, the direction of administrators, related classes, participation in events and tasks and training in terms of details of teachers' activities. In addition, approach to pedagogical lives of special teachers and the degree of participation were showed in more detail through those. Teachers show some individualism because the teaching profession is highly professional but the overall environment of the school is changed if there are much teachers with over-individualism in that schools are also considered as an educational community. I was afraid that there were many teachers who were participating in the pedagogical lives with individualism in this school studied and few interchange among teachers from elementary to middle and high schools as well as of special subjects was showed. I consider the reason of these problems that teachers spend their most time in their individual rooms ,not in the teachers' rooms so they have a lack of opportunities to meet other colleagues especially in different floors and grades, in addition, they also do such way after school. I think it is a good idea that teachers should manage many opportunities and spaces to make materials together and share information and communicate by gathering in a space even once a day to solve these problems.