Community of Practice and Teacher’s Professional Development: An Explorative Survey

Abstract

The article shows the outcomes of an explorative survey employing interviews, case analysis and focus groups on a sample of newly employed teachers in Rome in 2012. The hypothesis leading the research is that, within the Italian context of school autonomy, the school management that is able to promote a distributed leadership (Spillane, 2005) finds ways to recognize, support and develop the communities of practice (Lave & Wenger, 1991; Wenger, 1998; Wenger, McDermott, & Snyder, 2002). It is expected that promoting a distributed leadership through the community of practice both assists the teacher’s professional development and produces a positive effect in the learning processes. The research also investigates the way in which the experienced teachers and the whole institute support the newly employed teachers. Results indicate that the process with which the new teachers enter into school is critical. Results also point out: the fragile role of the teacher tutoring the newcomer; the influence of the experienced teachers who know the context better; the strategic role of the school principals, but also the principals unawareness of the informal local practices of learning. The article points out diverse interesting points of the Italian school system that is about to employ permanently a number of teachers.

Keywords

• community of practice
• distributed leadership
• newly employed teachers
• professional development
• tutorship
• comunità di pratica
• insegnanti neoassunti
• leadership distribuita
• sviluppo professionale