Collaborative work practices in educational teams – perspectives of participating teachers

Abstract

School has sought to implement new work dynamics, driven not only by legal regulations, but also to find answers to the countless challenges it faces. Therefore, it has sought, among other measures, to reorganize its work dynamics, trying to replace a traditionally individualistic model with a model based on collaborative work practices. As an example of these new dynamics, Educational Teams (ET) emerge which involve collaborative work between teachers, at various levels (Formosinho & Machado, 2009).
After a questionnaire survey, applied to teachers who were part of the ET and an interview survey, applied to the coordinators of the ET, as well as the analysis of the school’s structuring documents, it was found that these practices result from holding meetings, which take place in accordance with what is defined by the school organization, although without the presence of all members of the class council, where individual cases of students and situations of indiscipline are essentially addressed. The constitution of the team itself or the attitudes of teachers are highlighted as barriers to teaching collaboration and, as facilitators, the fact that there is a set time for meetings, the stability of the teaching staff and the relationship between teachers. In the teachers’ perception, teaching collaboration in ET is beneficial for students, teachers and the school in general, however, there are changes that need to be introduced to improve the effectiveness of CW, such as introducing greater flexibility in meetings and promoting an environment that encourages the active participation of all members. In addition, the autonomy of ET must be increased so that they can adapt their practices to the specific needs of each school context.