Teacher collaboration and educational knowledge building: teachers'view´

Abstract

Teacher collaboration allows teachers to finish the processes of educational knowledge building through the educational practice. Collaboration teachers´ view is an important dimension to understand the phenomenon studied. For that reason, this research investigates teachers’ view about categories related to educational teacher knowledge construct during an interdependence collaborative based training (systematic discussion, peer observation, systematization and transfer) (INTRODUCTION). A qualitative methodology has been used through two techniques: 26 structured interview to training participants before and after training (13 teachers) and 2 focus group and 2 focus groups to no training participants (12 teachers in total). Training allowed to analyse if teachers´ view about interdependence collaboration varies or depends on their grade of participation in these dynamics. Analysis information was done through two vias: inter-participants and by topics, following a deductive approach (based on Educational Teacher Knowledge Systemic Model (Authors)), and an inductive approach (gaining information about the coherence and contradictions of the answers) (METHOD).  The main findings show that consistent definitions are made and teachers´ perception doesn´t deviate significantly, although some ambivalences have arisen in their answers. It can reveal some structural problems which can be hindering the development of these collaborative dynamics in the professional culture. In fact, although this research supports existent evidence about the relevance of collaboration in knowledge generation from the classrooms, we have confirmed that collaboration follows being a poor and residual dynamic in the schools (RESULTS). Finally, research has contributed significantly to broaden studies of teacher´s view about collaboration, a fundamental approach to establish bottom-up politics which promote a collaborative professional development focused on building of educational knowledge (DISCUSSION AND PROSPECTIVE).