Perceptions of Teachers about Knowledge Sharing in Schools

This paper explores how teachers in schools share their knowledge, experiences, and ideas; what are their preferences in knowledge sharing practices; what tools they use, and what problems they face in sharing knowledge. Unstructured interviews were conducted to gain an in-depth understanding of the perceptions of teachers. Teachers saw sharing with colleagues as a way to increase their learning and also viewed their own learning as worthy of sharing with colleagues. They preferred casual sharing, online communication, peer coaching, and interactive workshops. Time constraint was the major hurdle according to teachers while stress, reluctant to share and fear of criticism also contributed to the low frequency of knowledge sharing. Majority of teaches use e-mail and “Teachers Network” for knowledge sharing. Teachers supported the view that IT had improved their communication with their counterparts.