Exploring the Possibility of Expanding the Concept of Teacher Learning Through the Advancement of Professional Capital Models: Focusing on Transformational Competencies and Philosophical Orientation

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to explore ways to expand and enhance the concept of teacher learning, focusing on ‘transformative competencies’ and ‘philosophical orientation’. This is to overcome the ontological crisis faced by school organizations in a diversified knowledge ecosystem, by supplementing the limitations of the existing professional capital model. Methods: This study utilized a literature review method, examining domestic and international academic data and policy reports related to teacher professionalism, transformative competencies, and philosophical orientation. Based on the literature review, the limitations of existing theories were critically analyzed, and a new paradigm for teacher learning along with structural alternatives was logically explored. Results: Transformative competencies act as a practical driving force that transfers an individual teacher’s human capital into social capital, which operates as collective intelligence. Furthermore, philosophical orientation provides an ethical compass directed toward the essence of education, going beyond the mere accumulation of experience, thereby elevating decisional capital into practical wisdom. It was found that when these two elements are organically combined, a teacher’s practical power and ethical standards align, resulting in an ecological achievement that restores strong teacher agency and subject-ness. Conclusion: Teacher learning must be elevated to a macroscopic and strategic administrative task to secure the flexibility and resilience of school organizations, moving beyond individual professional development training. To achieve this, flexible organizational restructuring within individual schools and a shift toward field-supported governance by the educational administrative agencies are essential. Furthermore, institutions must guarantee physical and psychological space for teachers by reducing administrative burdens, allowing them to fully exercise their philosophical orientation and transformative competencies.