ECOLOGICAL MODEL OF INSPIRED TEACHING AMONG EDUCATORS

Authors: Miri Ben Amram & Nitza Davidovitch

ABSTRACT

The current study examined educators’ perceptions of figures who inspired them and shaped their educational outlook. The study was conducted according to the ecological model by Bronfenbrenner (1986), a holistic model that attributes changes in human behavior to leaders’ interactions and interrelations with their surroundings throughout their life. Interviews were conducted with 90 educators: school counselors, teachers, homeroom teachers, and principals. Qualitative analysis found that 72% of the educators were inspired them to engage in education and teaching by figures who were meaningful for them in their childhood. Of these, about 18% were influenced by a figure in their nuclear family and about 54% by teachers or principals. The figures who inspired educators shared several qualities: excellence, ethics, and emotional engagement. Concerning their own educational approach, about 69% of the educators emphasized shaping the student’s personality, 25% emphasized shaping the student as a mature citizen, and 6% emphasized shaping the school culture. The research findings indicate the importance of integrating inspiring figures in the teacher training process, as these will cause students of teaching to internalize the meaning of the teaching experience that accompanies one throughout one’s life.

Keywords: Ecological model, inspiration, education, leadership, teacher training

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