Collaborative work and the use of digital and diverse resources in the classroom in the joint construction of knowledge

A case study in a middle school class in Portugal

Abstract

Collaborative work is increasingly recurrent in different areas of our society, whether in the labor market, where teams meet in openspace to find together a more efficient way, more effective answers; or in the educational area, where the most appropriate answers are sought so that everyone learns and no one is left behind. The debate and the joint construction of opinions call for a greater mobilization of skills in the construction of knowledge. The objectives of this study were to understand how the collaborative work and the organizational options of the groups by the teachers, as well as to verify whether diversified resources can contribute to an inclusive and differentiated teaching, enhancing the success of all students. We analyzed how collaborative work was managed in a 2nd cycle class with 20 students in three different subjects. For data collection we used naturalistic observation and semi-structured interviews. There was an improvement in the performance of the work presentations by each group, when the groups shared interests or engaged in helping an element with more difficulties. This approach combined diversified resources, from the use of technologies, such as the Tablet, to the use of diversified materials. The teachers sought to mobilize areas of interest to the students, seeking to motivate students through access to different approaches that could prove useful in effecting learning and mobilizing the necessary and emerging skills of the 21st century.