Unpacking the “Air”: A Self-Study on Tacit Educational Knowledge for Teachers in Japan　　

• In Event: Educators' Reflective Journeys: Defining Identities and Unpacking Knowledges

Abstract

Reading the air or “kuuki” (the air) “wo yomu” (to read) in Japanese is an example of culturally-based knowledge and social systems to understand tacit knowledge. Although it is a common practice, little is known about what teachers read in school and its impact on their educational activities. As a former public school teacher in Japan who started to realize the impact of the “air” in education through my international academic and professional experiences in the US, I employ self-study methodology to shed light on how the “air” is manifested in school context and how it relates to challenging for teachers to thrive in the contemporary educational settings.

Author

• Kae Takaoka, University of Minnesota