隨著網路學習模式的發展演進，數位學習模式也逐漸由重視個人自我學習，慢慢轉變成由電腦促成多人合作學習模式，進而產生了網路學習社群的概念。過去網路社群相關研究多以一般商業社群或是社交導向社群為研究範圍，並依據使用者參與動機及透過討論區內容分析互動行為，加以歸納出網路社群角色類型以及不同角色類型對社群經營的影響。而網路學習社群研究則著重於討論互動的歷程，以探討成員行為與角色之間的關係為主，鮮少有研究定義網路學習社群角色類型與行為特徵，並據此促成更有效的網路合作式學習成員組合，提升網路合作式討論歷程。 本研究以過去社交性及網路學習社群之研究為基礎，應用其研究結果於學習社群角色探討，並定義網路學習社群角色類型行為特徵，再依據網路合作式學習應以異質性分組實施之理論基礎，提出基於學習社群角色行為特徵之異質性分組策略，探討不同分組機制下網路學習社群成員進行合作學習之討論歷程差異。本研究採取準實驗法，實驗過程分為隨機分組與立意分組兩階段，每一階段分別實施三週。由教師選定學科領域範圍，小組在限定範圍內發想題目進行討論與合作，並且在wiki共筆平台上完成各組之小組作業。在資料分析層面以數位學習平台討論區紀錄、兩階段團體效能與凝聚力問卷前後測資料進行序列分析量化地分析，並且輔以平台討論紀錄說明分析結果。 實驗結果顯示以社群角色類型行為特徵所發展之異質分組策略可以使小組在合作式學習討論歷程上有所影響，共計三點發現：一、相較於隨機分組策略本研究所提異質性立意分組策略能有效提升小組討論互動程度與討論行為歷程層次，異質性立意分組策略使小組合作歷程跳脫單純的資訊分享行為晉升到尋求解決方法以及歸納與分析之反覆修正的討論行為歷程。二、相較於隨機分組策略本研究所提異質性立意分組策略對於小組知識建構層次有一定程度的提昇之效，第二階段各組在協商意涵與共同建構知識行為上提昇2%，而在驗證與修正已存在的經驗與知識行為上提昇8%，顯示異質性分組策略下小組在驗證與修正已存在的經驗與知識之層次有明顯提昇。三、異質性立意分組策略對於團體效能提昇有所助益，隨著合作歷程的轉變也同時了提昇的小組完成任務之信念。 / As web-based learning, which evolves from self-leaning into cooperative learning, makes a concept of web-based group learning community. Most studies about community focus on commercial community or social community and analyze users’ motives and behaviors through online discussion contents to conclude many types of community role and their impacts on community interactions. In contrast, web-based learning community studies focus on relationships between users’ behaviors and their role behaviors features but researchers seldom take advantage of the relationships result to form a formation strategy and see how it affect the process of group discussion. The purpose of study is to organize and conclude relative community studies to identify students’ role behavior features and make a group formation strategy based on heterogeneous group learning theory. This study was conducted by quasi-experiment. The experiment had two phases: I. Group learning in random arrangement, and II. Group learning in group formation strategy. In each phase, the course teacher announced relative issues and asked each group to figure out a topic as well as write a general report of the topic on wiki platform for three weeks. After experiment, researcher collected questionnaires of group efficiency and group cohesion, discussion contents to analyze. After comparing two phases, the experiment result contained three results: 1. The heterogeneous group formation strategy raised most groups in phase II the solving-problem behavior level and made groups not only share information but also search lot of information to analyze their interested topic. 2. The heterogeneous group formation strategy affected knowledge construction process of group learning. Phase II raised 8% high level knowledge construction behavior-“testing and modification of proposed synthesis or co-construction”. 3. The heterogeneous group formation strategy raised the group efficiency to help group members have faith to fulfill their learning task. Besides, the result indicates that good learning process didn’t have direct impacts on the scores of their group task.

本研究旨在建構並驗證高中職學校分布式領導、教師專業社群與學校創新經營效能之模式，並比較不同教師背景變項及學校環境變項的差異，依據研究所得結論，分別對教育行政機關、學校及教師提出建議，以做為推展校長分布式領導、促進教師專業社群運作，及提升學校創新經營效能之參考。 本研究使用問卷調查法，以單因子變異數分析、皮爾森積差相關、多元迴歸、結構方程模式等統計方法，探討高中職學校分布式領導、教師專業社群與學校創新經營效能之關係及模式驗證。透過文獻的蒐集與探討，提出本研究的研究架構和徑路關係模式圖。研究對象為國立高中職學校995 位教師；研究工具為研究者自編之校長分布式領導、教師專業社群與學校創新經營效能關係之調查問卷。 經由統計分析與討論，本研究獲得以下結論： 一、教師對校長分布式領導、教師專業社群與學校創新經營效能的知覺是正向的。 二、部分教師背景變項與學校環境變項的教師對校長分布式領導、教師專業社群與學校創新經營效能的知覺具有顯著差異。 三、校長分布式領導、教師專業社群與學校創新經營效能三者之間具有關聯性。 四、校長分布式領導、教師專業社群對學校創新經營效能均具有預測力。 五、本研究所建構的結構模式具有良好的適配度，校長分布式領導、教師專業社群對學校創新經營效能均具有顯著直接效果。 關鍵詞：分布式領導、教師專業社群、學校創新經營效能

建立線上教學服務平台，使年長者學習，打破世代藩籬。 / According to the United Nations, one in every ten persons is over the age of sixty and about two thirds of the world’s older populations live in developing countries. These same persons are our grandfathers and grandmothers. Unfortunately, the concept of ageing is often associated with a negative connotation of decline. This initiated our interest to create an online community that engages people of all ages in order to change these warped perceptions. This idea later evolved into Golden Tutor, an online learning community that helps in the development of its registered students and pre-approved tutors in their academic, professional and personal growth. Our aim of “Building a better society for all ages” along with our online learning platform seeks to instill a lifelong love for academic performance, to trigger more discussions on ageism and to spark a curiosity for inter-generational programs as its remedy. Golden Tutor is a socially minded venture that expects both financial and social gains for the benefit of the local communities in which it operates. Funds will first be reinvested and then later used to establish programs that foster offline social interaction. Our overall purpose is to engage older adults with youths in order to lessen the gap between generations; a new transformation fostered by community based solutions.

本研究旨在瞭解國民小學校長營造學習共同體與教師教學效能之間的關係。除瞭解國民小學校長營造學習共同體及教師教學效能之現況，分析不同背景變項在校長營造學習共同體及教師教學效能之差異情形外，亦探究校長營造學習共同體與教師教學效能之相關程度，以及探討校長營造學習共同體對教師教學效能之預測情形。 本研究採問卷調查法，研究對象為宜蘭縣國民小學主任、組長、級任教師及專任教師，共發出300份問卷，有效問卷計258 份，可用率達86%，問卷回收後分別以描述性統計、t 考驗、單因子變異數分析、Pearson 積差相關、多元逐步迴歸分析等統計方法進行研究。根據研究結果與分析後歸納之結論如下： 一、國民小學校長營造學習共同體表現為中高程度，其中以「學生學習共同 體」之知覺程度最高，「家長學習共同體」之知覺程度最低。 二、學校教育人員知覺教師教學效能為高程度，其中以「教學評量」之知覺 程度最高，「教學計畫」之知覺程度最低。 三、宜蘭縣國民小學以偏遠地區、學校規模在12班以下之學校教育人員知覺 「校長營造學習共同體」的程度較高。 四、宜蘭縣國民小學以偏遠地區、學校規模在12班以下之學校教育人員知覺 「教師教學效能」的程度較高。 五、不同程度之國民小學校長營造學習共同體在教師教學效能上有顯著之差 異。 六、校長營造學習共同體與教師教學效能有顯著之正相關，知覺校長營造學 習共同體程度愈高，則教師教學效能則愈高。 七、校長營造學習共同體對教師教學效能具有正向的預測力。 最後，本研究根據研究結果，提出相關建議，俾提供教育行政機關、國民小 學校長以及未來研究參考。 / This study aims at discussing the relationship of principals’ reform schools into learning community and teachers’ teaching effectiveness of elementary schools.The first is to expore the reality for principals’ reform schools into learning community and teachers’ teaching effectiveness.Second, investigating the differences of background variables among principals’ reform schools into learning community and teachers’ teaching effectiveness.Third, to analyze the relationships among principals’ reform schools into learning community and teachers’ teaching effectiveness.Finally, researching predictive power of principals’ reform schools into learning community on teachers’ teaching effectiveness. The research adopts the questionnaire method. The main participants of the questionnaire survey are administrators in elementary schools inYilan County. The total number of questionnaires that were distributed to school is 300, and 258 of which are valid. That is, the percentage of availability is around 86%. The collected data is analyzed through the statistical method of descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient and Multiple stepwise regression analysis. The findings of the study are as follows: 1. Principals have medium-high performance on pricipals’ reform schools into learning community. The score is the hightest in the dimension of “students’ learning community " and the lowest in the dimension of " partents’ learning community." 2. Administrators in Yilan elementary schools perceptions the teachers’ teaching effectiveness as high. The score is hightest in the dimension of “instructional assessment " and the lowest in the dimension of “instructional plan." 3. Administrators in Yilan elementary schools where in remote districts, or scale under (including) 12 classes,perceive principals’ reform schools into learning community higher than others. 4. Administrators in Yilan elementary schools where in remote districts, or scale under (including) 12 classes highly perceive the teachers’ teaching effectiveness. 5. Principals’ reform schools into learning community in Yilan elementary schools with different dgree on the teachers’ teaching effectiveness is significantly different. 6. The relationship between principals’ reform schools into learning community and teachers’ teaching effectiveness is positively correlated.The higher principals’ reform schools into learning community is, the higher perceptions of the teachers’ teaching effectiveness. 7. The principals’ reform schools into learning community have the positive predictive power on teachers’ teaching effectiveness. According to the above conclusions, the research is to provide some suggestions as future references for the institutions of education administration and schools.

No description available.

SELF-EVALUATION IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS Abstract The dissertation thesis focuses on self-evaluation - self-evaluation of schools - in secondary schools in the Czech Republic with an emphasis on creation and development of professional community of teachers and creation of schools as Learning Organizations. The current state of research in the field of self-evaluation is described by the study of Czech and foreign literature. Self-conducted empirical investigation helped to determine the real state of its implementation in our secondary schools. In the framework of the thesis, self-evaluation is understood as a condition for further development of the school, improvement of the quality of teachers and all school activities; so that the school would be able to best reflect the needs of the market and its social partners. The purpose is to allow the school itself to assess its situation, to define its own problems and to find solutions - to find self-improvements. The thesis introduces a variety of approaches, benefits and difficulties that the current state of self-evaluation causes. The first part defines basic concepts, describes quality management systems used in educational process and legislative framework for the implementation of self-evaluation in secondary schools. Supporting part comprises a summary of...

Submitted by Izabel Franco (izabel-franco@ufscar.br) on 2016-09-06T19:56:16Z No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseRMM.pdf: 5818037 bytes, checksum: de533ac07940300c6b6c7953ab7a2f37 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-09-12T14:18:13Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseRMM.pdf: 5818037 bytes, checksum: de533ac07940300c6b6c7953ab7a2f37 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-09-12T14:18:22Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseRMM.pdf: 5818037 bytes, checksum: de533ac07940300c6b6c7953ab7a2f37 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-09-12T14:20:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseRMM.pdf: 5818037 bytes, checksum: de533ac07940300c6b6c7953ab7a2f37 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-09-03 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) / The current research lies in the discussions about teacher training in collaborative context which involves online learning communities, specifically in the constitution of the teaching identity of future teachers in the early years and the teaching insertion in the first year of professional career. For its development, it started with production readings which advocate that training must contemplate, through the lived and narrated experiences, situations of reflection and questioning the historical, social and political contexts in which they were and are forming teachers, providing discussions of certain practices and projecting to others, in an interwoven process of the histories, knowledge, processes and rituals. Among several education training courses that propose to support the professional development of primary school teachers, at different phases of their lecturer career, with the auxiliary of experienced professionals from public schools and university, lies in the Teacher Gateway of the Federal University of São Carlos (UFSCar), the online extension course - 2013 which is linked to this doctoral thesis. The course-titled "Narratives of Education in Mathematics and Portuguese Language - 2013" and it was developed in an online learning community, via the internet. The purpose of the course privileged collaboration among peers, questioning, reflection, research, educational planning and collaboration through narratives about the own process of the undergraduates training in Pedagogy, focused on meaningful experiences of schooling, training, especially with the Portuguese Language and Mathematics disciplines. Participants selected for the course are undergraduating women in the last year of Pedagogy and teachers up to three years teaching experience. It consists itself in a study centered on the investigations about the self-written - with the narratives of education and professional narratives - , as a practice teacher training. This is the research scene which seeks to understand how the undergraduate women, still in beginning education, signaling in their autobiographical narratives, the evidence of the constitution of the teaching identity and its unfoldments in professional practice that begins, especially the learning built in an online learning community. The interpretative-comprehensive analysis of education narratives, aim at that learning in an online learning community were significant, give place to new experiences that emerge in the own live, doing and experiment. The results indicate that the online extension course - 2013 led collaborative moments set out in online forums; construction of knowledge about teaching and being a teacher as fundamental attitudes of the educational process; deepening of the reflection process on their own stories; practice records on experiences; sharing with peers pedagogical practices developed at school. These and other learnings enabled the constuction of the artifact of scholarship. The study of autobiographical narratives produced and discussed in an online learning community, showed how this process contribuites to the constituition of the teaching professional identity and professional development that reveal themselves in constant tension on a continuum. / A presente pesquisa situa-se nas discussões sobre formação de professores em contextos colaborativos que envolvem comunidades de aprendizagem online, especificamente, na constituição da identidade docente de futuros professores dos anos iniciais e na inserção do docente no primeiro ano da carreira profissional. Para o seu desenvolvimento, partiu-se de leituras de produções as quais preconizam que a formação deve contemplar, por meio das experiências vividas e narradas, situações de reflexão e problematização dos contextos históricos, sociais e políticos nos quais eles foram e estão se constituindo docentes, proporcionando debates de determinadas práticas e projetando-se para outras, num transcurso imbricado de histórias, conhecimentos, processos e rituais. Dentre diversos cursos de formação que se propõem a apoiar o desenvolvimento profissional de professores do Ensino Básico, em diferentes fases da carreira docente, com o auxílio de profissionais experientes da rede pública de ensino e da universidade, encontra-se, no Portal de Professores da Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCar) o curso de extensão online – 2013 à qual está vinculada esta tese de doutorado. O curso intitulou-se “Narrativas de Formação em Matemática e Língua Portuguesa – 2013” e foi desenvolvido numa comunidade de aprendizagem online, via internet. A proposta do curso privilegiou a colaboração entre os pares, o questionamento, a reflexão, a pesquisa, o planejamento pedagógico e a colaboração, por meio de narrativas sobre o próprio processo de formação dos licenciandos em Pedagogia, centradas em experiências significativas de escolarização, de formação, especialmente com as disciplinas Língua Portuguesa e Matemática. Os participantes selecionados para o curso são licenciandas do último ano de Pedagogia e professores com até três anos de experiência docente. Constituiu-se em um estudo centrado nas investigações (auto)biográficas – com narrativas de formação e narrativas profissionais –, como prática de formação de professor. Esse é o cenário da pesquisa que busca compreender como as licenciandas, ainda em formação inicial, sinalizam, em suas narrativas autobiográficas, os indícios de constituição de identidade docente e seus desdobramentos no exercício profissional que principia, especialmente, as aprendizagens construídas em uma comunidade de aprendizagem online. A análise interpretativo-compreensiva das narrativas autobiográficas, apontou que as aprendizagens na comunidade de aprendizagem online foram significativas, dando lugar às novas experiências que emergem no próprio viver, fazer e experienciar. Os resultados apontam que o curso de extensão online – 2013 propiciou momentos colaborativos estabelecidos nos fóruns online; construção de conhecimentos sobre o ensinar e ser professora, como atitudes fundamentais do processo formativo; aprofundamento do processo de reflexão sobre as próprias histórias; prática de registros sobre as experiências vividas; compartilhamento com os pares de práticas pedagógicas desenvolvidas na escola. Essas e outras aprendizagens possibilitaram a construção de artefatos de saberes (artifact of scholarship). O estudo sobre as narrativas autobiográficas, produzidas e discutidas em uma comunidade de aprendizagem online, mostrou como esse processo contribui para a constituição da identidade profissional docente e do desenvolvimento profissional que se revelam em constante tensão, em um continuum.

Submitted by Caroline Periotto (carol@ufscar.br) on 2016-09-26T19:00:20Z No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseEGM.pdf: 1633747 bytes, checksum: 83306d17b80b84c26b81dc62f0eaa748 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-09-27T20:13:21Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseEGM.pdf: 1633747 bytes, checksum: 83306d17b80b84c26b81dc62f0eaa748 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marina Freitas (marinapf@ufscar.br) on 2016-09-27T20:13:33Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseEGM.pdf: 1633747 bytes, checksum: 83306d17b80b84c26b81dc62f0eaa748 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-09-27T20:13:42Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 TeseEGM.pdf: 1633747 bytes, checksum: 83306d17b80b84c26b81dc62f0eaa748 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-24 / Não recebi financiamento / The training of teacher educators is a underexplored research topic, therefore, this research aims to understand some functions of the learning process and the constitution of aspects of professionality of teacher educators in exercise in the early years of elementary school. The education research was based on theoretical and methodological assumptions of the autobiographical approach and the teacher education, having been developed a virtual space in order to provide an online learning community in which the forming of teachers could take their experiences as possibility of analysis and reflection aspects that constituted their professionalism as a educator. The online extension course called "Educators of the early years of Elementary education: formative routes and autobiographical" was held at the Portal Teachers UFSCar (www.portaldosprofessores.ufscar.br) in the period April-November 2013 and certified by the Pro-Rectory of the UFSCar extension. The interactions between the participants occurred in the discussion forums with the mediation of the researcher-forming and preparation of memorials that formed the data corpus of research that included seventeen participants, forming teachers who work in the early years of elementary school, both in the school context as in municipal or state school systems. The movement of "being virtual together" in an online education proposal and collaborative education was analyzed based on the narratives produced. Realizing that the professional education takes place in a continuum and that the experiences of practice and education provide different apprenticeship of the function, we highlight the importance of a collaborative reflection on these routes according as the participants indicated the importance of the other educator to recognize themselves as formers, as well as its role in this function. It was possible to analyze the constitution of the aspects of their professionalism in a search to define the educator’s role, in the desire to be recognized by the specificity of its function, the indication of the weaknesses of your routine, the difficulties that appear on tasks related to the action of the educator which make it impossible to control their action. We noted some gaps in the belonging feeling of these formers in a collective where it could be possible expose their experiences of acting and justify their actions, enabling that their knowledge could be shared. This research announces the need of continuous education for the educators, and the online learning community inserted in this study showed very promising for the development of continuing education projects for teacher educators. As main results we highlight the influence of experiences lived in the profession and the working conditions in which made it possible to carry over into his work as teachers educators. A specific knowledge that stands out in the educator's role is to promote the professional development of teachers. For this, the educators need to utilize their expertise and their pedagogical knowledge content to take the classroom as an object of knowledge to the teachers themselves. A specific knowledge that stands out in the educator's role is to promote the professional development of teachers. For this, the educators need to utilize their expertise and their pedagogical knowledge of the content to take the classroom as an object of knowledge to the teachers themselves. This can be only achieved by the intervention of the educator, promoting studies that take the pedagogical practice as a focus and analyze the knowledge involved, the opportunities of progress and performance for teachers. It is necessary to ensure that the educators are, first, recognized for this role, and have time and space to participate in continuous education activities that stimulate reflection by the interaction with other professionals who play the role of teacher educators, having as a wire conductor changes in the ways of teaching as promoters of better student learning conditions. / A formação de formadores de professores é uma temática de investigação ainda pouco explorada, diante disso, esta pesquisa busca compreender alguns dos processos de aprendizagem da função e aspectos da constituição da profissionalidade de formadores de professores em exercício nos anos iniciais do Ensino Fundamental. A investigação-formação esteve assentada em pressupostos teórico-metodológicos da abordagem (auto)biográfica e da formação de professores, tendo sido desenvolvida um espaço virtual com o intuito de constituir uma comunidade de aprendizagem online na qual as formadoras de professores puderam tomar suas experiências como possibilidade de análise e reflexão de aspectos que constituíram sua profissionalidade como formador. O curso de extensão online “Formação de Formadores dos Anos Iniciais do Ensino Fundamental: Percursos formativos e (auto) biográficos” foi realizado no Portal dos Professores da UFSCar (www.portaldosprofessores.ufscar.br), no período de abril a novembro de 2013 e certificado pela Pró-Reitoria de Extensão da UFSCar. As interações entre as participantes ocorreram nos fóruns de discussão com a mediação da pesquisadora-formadora e na elaboração de memoriais que formaram o corpus de dados da pesquisa que contou com dezessete participantes, formadoras de professores que atuam nos anos iniciais do Ensino Fundamental, tanto no contexto da escola quanto nas redes de ensino municipais ou estaduais. O movimento de “estar junto virtual” em uma proposta de educação online e formação colaborativa foi analisado a partir das narrativas produzidas. Compreendendo que a formação profissional se dá em um continuum e que as experiências da atuação e formação proporcionam diferentes aprendizagens da função destacamos a relevância de uma reflexão colaborativa sobre esses percursos a medida que as participantes indicaram a importância do outro formador para reconhecerem a si mesmas como formadoras, assim como, seu papel nesta função. Foi possível analisar a constituição de aspectos de sua profissionalidade na busca de definição do papel do formador, no desejo de ser reconhecida pela especificidade de sua função, na indicação das fragilidades de sua rotina, nas dificuldades que aparecem diante de tarefas inerentes à ação do formador que impossibilitam o controle de sua ação. Observamos algumas lacunas no que tange ao pertencimento dessas formadoras a um coletivo em que fosse possível expor suas experiências da atuação e justificar suas ações, possibilitando assim que seus conhecimentos pudessem ser compartilhados. Esta pesquisa anuncia a necessidade de formação contínua dos formadores e a comunidade de aprendizagem online estudada se mostrou bastante promissora para o desenvolvimento de projetos de formação continuada para formadores de professores. Como os principais resultados destacamos a influência das experiências vividas na profissão e, por conseguinte, as condições de trabalho pelas quais foi possível transitar em sua atuação como formadoras de professoras. Um saber específico que se destaca na função do formador é promover o desenvolvimento profissional dos professores. Para isso, os formadores precisam se valer de seus conhecimentos específicos e de seus conhecimentos pedagógicos do conteúdo para tomar a sala de aula como objeto de conhecimento para os próprios professores. Isso só pode ser realizado mediante a intervenção do formador, promovendo estudos que tomem a prática pedagógica como foco e que analisem os conhecimentos envolvidos, os avanços e as possibilidades de atuação dos professores. É preciso que se garanta que os formadores sejam, primeiramente, reconhecidos por esse papel, e que tenham tempo e espaço para participarem de atividades formativas contínuas que favoreçam a reflexão pela interação com demais profissionais que desempenhem a função de formadores de professores, tendo como fio condutor as mudanças nos modos de ensinar como promotoras de melhores condições de aprendizagem dos estudantes.

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Education in the Faculty of Education and Social Sciences at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology 2013 / Teacher education for multigrade education in South Africa is poor, since multigrade teachers and principals involved in multigrade education have not received formal training in this form of education, and therefore lack support. Owing to this lacuna in multigrade pedagogy, and teachers' limited knowledge of such pedagogy, multigrade teachers and principals struggle to interpret subject matter and settle for different ways to present and make it accessible to learners. This has a severe impact on the potential of multigrade schools to play an important role as educational units in underserved rural areas. Research shows that pre-service and in-service training does not enable multigrade teachers and principals to develop a knowledge base within the complexities of the actual classroom situation. Such a knowledge base would enable them to solve the endemic problems of multigrade education, thereby enhancing their task as multigrade teachers and principals. Training can have an impact on trainee teachers, but the successful transfer of this newly acquired knowledge to learners in the classroom is questionable. Owing to the extent of the problem experienced at each level of multigrade education in the educational system in South Africa, chances are slight that support to multigrade teachers and principals will emanate from officials and curriculum advisers. It is clear that the problem of supporting multigrade teachers and principals is substantial and daunting, and that a solution to the problem will lead to significant advances in learning, or at least a significant reduction in malfunction in the multigrade educational system. Therefore, bridging the gap between newly-acquired teacher competence and teachers' performance in the classroom is a major concern for the future. This research aims to understand the dilemmas and address the shortcomings as teachers implement new practices within classrooms. There needs to be a transitional process through which multigrade teachers and principals move as they gradually learn, come to understand, and become skilled and competent in novel ways of education. This research introduces a Professional Learning Community (PLC) as a model of support and guidance to multigrade teachers and principals, bridging the gap between knowledge acquired at a workshop, and concomitant support and guidance, in order to understand and address the dilemmas that emerge as they implement new practices within multigrade classrooms. This research employs a design research approach to determine design guidelines and principles to facilitate the process of supporting and guiding multigrade teachers and principals, working together as a network cluster for collective learning and its implementation. The research process in design research encompasses educational design processes and is therefore cyclical in character: analysis, design, evaluation and revision activities are iterated until a satisfying balance between ideals ('the intended') and realisation has been achieved. To develop solutions for this research, a prototyping approach was employed towards a final deliverable. The Prototyping Phase in this research comprised three cycles, and focused during the evolutionary prototyping process on elaborating on the components of the possible support system to multigrade teachers and principals. It was envisaged that this would concretise the situation, and obviate problems before implementation in the day-to-day user setting. Formative evaluation was applied in order to uncover shortcomings during the development process, in order to generate suggestions for improvement. The results of the evaluation of each preceding prototype were used in the development of the next prototype. Design research is an effective method of developing various prototypes in collaboration with multigrade teachers and principals to ensure contextual appropriateness of what works at a given time, as well as solutions to the specific problems of multigrade teachers and principals in South Africa. Keywords: Design research, Educational design processes, Educational design research, Multigrade, Multigrade pedagogy, Network cluster, Professional Learning Community, Support system.

A presente pesquisa configura-se como um estudo de caso de natureza qualitativa que procurou analisar e tecer algumas considerações importantes a respeito de um curso livre experimental de inglês básico on-line - denominado Beginner Grammar Writing (BGW)-, com enfoque no desenvolvimento das habilidades de leitura e de escrita. Esse curso foi oferecido para alunos de diferentes países cuja língua materna não é o inglês, e ministrado, concomitantemente, por duas professoras da área, residentes em países distintos. Procurou-se verificar se o curso, que adotou uma metodologia de ensino-aprendizagem colaborativa/comunicacional, veio a se tornar uma comunidade de aprendizagem, a partir das características apontadas por vários teóricos, e das quais elegemos as seguintes: interesses comuns, empatia, sociabilidade colaborativa e tempo de exposição no grupo. Os dados obtidos foram coletados ao longo do curso em questão, no primeiro momento em que foi oferecido. Esses dados consistem em documentos digitais do curso (tais como e-mail dos alunos, e-mail trocados entre as professoras, registros de participação dos estudantes no fórum e em sessões de chat) e na observação participante da professora/pesquisadora ao longo de todo o curso. O estudo fundamentou-se nas teorias da comunicação escolar, comunicação on-line, de aprendizagem colaborativa e no referencial teórico a respeito de comunidades virtuais (de aprendizagem). A reflexão sobre os dados recolhidos e a análise efetuada apontaram algumas questões relevantes a respeito de ensino de inglês on-line na perspectiva de uma metodologia de ensino-aprendizagem colaborativo/ comunicacional e mostraram que o curso BGW atingiu o objetivo de promover a aprendizagem coletiva. A análise de dados confirmou ainda que uma comunidade de aprendizagem foi criada e é mantida como tal a partir do curso BGW aqui estudado. / The present study is a qualitative case study of an experimental English basic on-line course, entitled Beginner Grammar Writing (BGW), with emphasis on the development of writing and reading skills. This course was offered to students from different countries, whose native language was not English, and was delivered simultaneously by two teachers of English, resident in distinct countries. The study attempted to verify whether the students in the course, which adopted a teaching and learning collaborative/communicational methodology, became a learning community from the characteristics described by several theoreticians and from which we selected the following: common interests, empathy, collaborative sociability and time of exposure in the group. The data were collected from the course when it was first offered. Data consisted of digital documents (such as students´ e-mail, e-mail exchanged between the teachers, questionnaires, registers of students´ participation in the discussion forum and in the chat sessions, and some others) and the participative observation of the teacher/researcher throughout the course. The theoretical framework was based on the communicative theory, the collaborative learning approach and the theoretical referential on virtual learning communities. The data showed that the BGW course reached its objective of promoting a collective learning. The data also confirmed that a learning community was created and is maintained as so from the course studied.