Aprendizagem e(m) Colaboração: Reflexões Sobre um Projeto de Intervenção/Formação numa EB 2/3

Abstract

This paper reports on data from an intervention/training project “Learning and Collaboration” that was developed in a school located in northern Portugal. It was a training project based upon a joint reflection on the process of professional development and collaborative practice. It was developed within the context of a broader piece of research which has included a number of sessions that took place between October 2008 and May 2009. Its design was flexible but its main goals were: i) to analyse learning opportunities at the workplace; ii) to promote reflection on teacher professional development at an individual level and at the level of the community/organisation; iii) to reflect on collaboration, its potential and constraints at the workplace; iv) to enhance opportunities for sharing and learning within the departments; v) to promote a collaborative experience with a group of teachers. Findings suggest that school contexts have not yet provided the best conditions for teacher professional development and collaborative work. Thus, it is essential to develop training projects at school in order to enhance collaboration and to promote opportunities and collaborative cultures within the view of a more effective and efficient professional development in order to meet the challenges of teaching in the 21st century.