Transfer Theory

When I think about transfer theory, I think about what Malcolm Gladwell describes as the 10,000 hour rule in his book Outliers. Although he refers mainly to athletes and musicians, this rule may be compared to administrator experience. I will provide an example of this later.
Transfer theory of learning is when an individual acquires the necessary skills and knowledge from another experienced individual and is able to apply them in practice. For example, a principal that mentors and prepares an assistant principal to take over when he or she retires. This example is the best case scenario and not always the case. Further, an assistant principal who is observant of the qualities of a principal will learn what to do or not to do in the future. The assistant will learn from the principal’s mistakes.
The video mentions that one job experience should help another. This may include individuals who are now in the education field that were previously employed in the private sector. Many of these individuals bring in managerial skills they learned with their previous employer. My experience with these individuals has been positive because they understand the need for students to learn about real-world experiences.
The 10,000 hour rule as described by Gladwell may be considered toward becoming an effective administrator. In order to attain the highest level of success we need the experience. Schlechty (2002) says that a leader is to inspire others to do things they might otherwise not do. This skill is not learned overnight. It takes time. It could take 10,000 hours.


Schlechty, P. C. (2002). Working on the work. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.