Teaching technology-mediated collaborative learning for trainee teachers

ABSTRACT

In a knowledge-driven society, secondary education should let students develop appropriate and meaningful skills to live, think and work. To attain this aim, teachers require specific knowledge and competences about technology-mediated collaborative learning strategies while overcoming preconceptions and a general sense of inadequacy towards these learning approaches. This exploratory study focuses on a learning path based on the 'Trialogical' Learning Approach to consider the role of technology-mediated collaborative learning in the educational development and classroom practices of trainee teachers. A multi-methods approach was used to analyse the collected data. Results indicate a good level of active participation in the activities leading to a general perception of effective learning. Participants report having acquired knowledge and skills which will improve their professional practice. The positive value of introducing collaboration and technology in the learning path is highlighted.

KEYWORDS:

• Trainee teachers
• technology-enhanced learning
• collaborative learning
• role taking
• trialogical learning approach

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. For the post-hoc analysis we deleted three outliers.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Nadia Sansone

Nadia Sansone is a Researcher in Experimental Pedagogy at Unitelma Sapienza University of Rome. In recent years she has worked in different fields, from academic research to companies, at the National School of Administration and at the Presidency of the Council of Ministers. She is the chief editor of the journal QWERTY – Open and Interdisciplinary Journal of Technology, Culture and Education.

Donatella Cesareni

Donatella Cesareni is Associate Professor of Experimental Pedagogy at the Sapienza University of Rome, where she teaches experimental pedagogy and she’s a member of the PhD in 'Social Psychology, Developmental Psychology and Educational Research'. She has developed research in the field of education technologies and has collaborated on national and international research to monitor the collaborative use of technology at school. She is the co-editor of the journal QWERTY – Open and Interdisciplinary Journal of Technology, Culture and Education.

Ilaria Bortolotti

Ilaria Bortolotti is a PhD student at the Department of Social and Developmental Psychology of Sapienza University of Rome and is a qualified psychologist. Her research interests are in education, technology-mediated collaborative learning and teacher training. She participated in the European Project Knork and she is currently working in UP2U, a European project aimed at bridging the gap between school and university.

Sarah Buglass

Sarah Buglass is a PhD researcher in psychology at Nottingham Trent University. Her research interests include social interactions on digital platforms, online vulnerability, social network analysis and fear of missing out (FOMO).