Publication
Group work as a factor enhancing curriculum integration in primary education
| dc.contributor.author | Pereira, Cândida | |
| dc.contributor.author | Cardoso, Ana Paula | |
| dc.contributor.author | Rocha, João | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2017-01-30T10:57:34Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2017-01-30T10:57:34Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2015 | |
| dc.description.abstract | In the current educational system, the 1st cycle of basic education (1st CBE) [year 1-4] is characterised as providing a comprehensive education, with the aim of achieving integrated and interdisciplinary knowledge, capable of developing basic skills in Portuguese, mathematics, science and social studies and artistic expression (Ministry of Education, 2004). According to decree-law, n.º 241/2001 of 30 August, the 1st CBE teacher develops the respective curriculum, mobilising and integrating the scientific knowledge of the areas upon which it is based and the skills required to advance student learning. Therefore, strategies to motivate integrative activities, where students have the opportunity to share ideas, opinions, and experiences as well as possible solutions, should be sought. The aim of this paper is precisely to understand whether methodology of group work can be an enabling strategy of 1st CBE curriculum integration. To this end, we sought to ascertain the opinion of teachers with regards to group work – whether they consider it important, if it is a common practice in implementing the curriculum and in which curricular areas it is used most often. We also wanted to examine whether teachers use group work as a strategy for curriculum integration in the classroom as well as the main difficulties they felt. Empirically, we carried out descriptive research with a survey by questionnaire which was prepared for this purpose. It was applied to 1st CBE teachers working in a school group in the municipality of Viseu schools (central region of Portugal). This was a convenience sample of 43 mostly female (90.7%) teachers, aged between 30 and 59 years. The data obtained showed that teachers attach great importance to the methodology of group work, but use it with variable frequency in their classroom teaching practice. They also indicate that group work, including pair work is a widely used strategy for curriculum integration in the 1st CBE. Nevertheless, some obstacles to this practice are identified as the vast syllabus of the 1st CBE, importance given to preparing for exams and the excessive number of students per class. These findings may be important to help envisage changes to the organisation of schools and teaching activities, counteracting the compartmentalised organisation by subjects which tends to persist in the 1st CBE. | pt_PT |
| dc.description.version | info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion | pt_PT |
| dc.identifier.citation | Pereira, C., Cardoso, A. P., Rocha, J. (2015). Group work as a factor enhancing curriculum integration in primary education. In C. Leite, A. Mouraz & P. Fernandes (Orgs.), Curriculum Studies: Policies, perspectives and practices (pp. 361-372). Proceedings of ECCS 2015 – II European Conference on Curriculum Studies, Porto: Edições CIIE – Centro de Investigação e Intervenção Educativas. ISBN: 978-989-8471-21-5. | pt_PT |
| dc.identifier.isbn | 978-989-8471-21-5 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10400.19/4162 | |
| dc.language.iso | eng | pt_PT |
| dc.peerreviewed | yes | pt_PT |
| dc.relation | FCT and CI&DETS/IPV | pt_PT |
| dc.subject | Curriculum integration | pt_PT |
| dc.subject | Group work | pt_PT |
| dc.subject | 1st Cycle of Basic Education (1st CBE) | pt_PT |
| dc.subject | Teachers | pt_PT |
| dc.title | Group work as a factor enhancing curriculum integration in primary education | pt_PT |
| dc.type | conference object | |
| dspace.entity.type | Publication | |
| oaire.citation.conferencePlace | Porto | pt_PT |
| oaire.citation.endPage | 372 | pt_PT |
| oaire.citation.startPage | 361 | pt_PT |
| oaire.citation.title | ECCS 2015 – II European Conference on Curriculum Studies | pt_PT |
| person.familyName | Paula Pereira de Oliveira Cardoso | |
| person.familyName | Rocha | |
| person.givenName | Ana | |
| person.givenName | João | |
| person.identifier.ciencia-id | 4019-E6D8-1885 | |
| person.identifier.ciencia-id | F214-E725-4B51 | |
| person.identifier.orcid | 0000-0001-5062-4098 | |
| person.identifier.orcid | 0000-0002-0454-5038 | |
| rcaap.rights | closedAccess | pt_PT |
| rcaap.type | conferenceObject | pt_PT |
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