Capability approach and professional learning community of teachers: Is this a viable perspective for the improvement schooling?

Abstract

The paper discusses the results of a survey addressed to evaluate the impact of cooperative learning trainings delivered by CeSeDi (Centre of Didactic Services) across ten years. The case study of CeSeDi presents a purpose of public inservice training into Turin District. Specifically we present a) the role of individual and organizational factors in the process of training transfer; b) the impacts of a group of teachers acting as coaches to implement professional learning community with cooperative learning methods in different schools; c) the role of networks of schools to improve quality of teaching and learning. We tried to connect the results with capability approach theory, applied on the development
of a community of teachers in the “agency” element. This point of view considers the school as a learning community context in which it is necessary to modify the meaning of organization to create new conditions for improving equity, democracy and learning.