Collaborative work to cross subject boundaries with digital technologies: developing a training plan through action research

Abstract

This article describes Cycle II of a set of three action-research cycles designed as part of an educational research project. It aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of how teachers collaborate and learn from each other in their professional contexts, fostering collaborative planning practices that aim to articulate the work of various subject areas with digital technologies. In this sense, this cycle was dedicated to developing a training intervention with characteristics of the F@R Model (Training-Action- Reflection), with the aim of involving teachers in joint work. It sought to provide more or less structured learning moments for these professionals to become agents of change, experimenting, testing and discussing new pedagogical approaches. To be operationalised, this cycle was guided by two research questions: 1) How is the articulation between different areas and curricular elements revealed in the planning conceived in a structured training context? and 2) How are digital technologies reflected in the planning of collaborative teaching activities? The innovation of this work lies above all in terms of methodology in this area of study and intervention. The empirical component was developed through an in-service training course lasting 38 hours. The participants were ten teachers from the 2nd cycle of basic education in Portugal (equivalent to ISCED 2), which covered at least two of a number of disciplines, in an interdisciplinary logic. The data was collected from the planning, collaborative work sessions and reflections of the participating teachers. Content analysis was favoured, using categories and frequencies. The collaborative work sessions led the teachers to negotiate a common planning model. They were able to develop joint planning, prioritising the articulation between different subjects, which brought together areas such as Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Citizenship and Development, and ICT (Information and Communication Technologies). These synergies materialised in various pedagogical strategies, with the use of digital tools and the exploration of problem situations that promoted broader, more integrative and meaningful learning experiences. However, there were still challenges in designing strategies in an interdisciplinary way, since the existing curriculum documents are still structured in a fragmented way. On the other hand, the planning also included the creation of opportunities for students to experiment with the potential of digital technologies in concrete situations, deviating from the initial conception that digital technologies would be restricted to the ICT subject. Participants emphasised the usefulness of mutual feedback during the sessions, highlighting continuous improvement, self-efficacy and changes in practice. These results show that structured and reflective training sessions can lead to innovative educational practices in harmony with inter- and transdisciplinary pedagogical approaches. This will support collaborative work to plan inter- and transdisciplinary pedagogical strategies with digital technologies in the future.