My study explores the characteristics of remote performance feedback that professional examiners working in the Oxford, Cambridge & RSA (OCR) awarding body communicate to each other. Drawing on sociocultural theories, I argue that this interaction possesses learning potential because between-professional communication supports the development of participants’ reasoning through the alignment of culturally appropriate collective thinking. My data consists of 991 feedback messages that were captured during two examination sessions (between May and July 2014, and between May and July 2015). These remote interactions (either email or telephone) involved three senior examiners and 27 examiners. These feedback interactions have an important quality assurance function as they help to ensure that the examiners carry out marking practices to an agreed standard. My research explores two interlinked research questions: ‘What are the characteristics of examiner feedback?’ and ‘What are the characteristics of effective examiner feedback?’ For the first research question I develop a methodology that extends the Sociocultural Discourse Analysis (SCDA) approach developed by Neil Mercer; I call this approach Augmented Sociocultural Discourse Analysis (ASCDA). My methodology allows me to investigate the features of interaction at both a particular and a general level, and clusters my analysis into four specific feedback discourse themes: feedback content, the development of discourse over time, evidence of joint intellectual action within feedback, and the impact of feedback. In order to address the second question I hypothesise that effectiveness relates to how feedback features support or undermine examiners’ common ground building. I synthesise the findings from these analyses to consider the lessons for examiner practice in particular, and for other professional feedback practices more generally. Taken together, these analyses suggest that feedback-giving is an intellectually challenging process. My analyses also suggest that this complexity involves the participants establishing and maintaining an Intermental Development Zone through their feedback communication, and that this entails them manipulating discourse features whilst simultaneously attending to a variety of contextual features of the professional environment.

abstract: Few would argue that teacher effectiveness is a key lever in education reform and improving the overall quality of public education, especially in poor and working class communities. To that end, the importance of supporting and developing beginning teachers is of utmost importance in education, thus requiring deep understandings of the process of learning to teach. Yet, most conceptions of teacher learning struggle to capture the social, cultural, and historical context of teacher learning, particularly in understanding how learning and the production of knowledge is situated, active, and complex. One example of this limitation comes from the field of research on pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) and its importance in developing effective beginning teachers. This study characterizes beginning teachers' production of PCK within a cultural historical activity theory (CHAT) framework. This study finds that the teachers produce PCK mostly based on their own individual experiences and reflections, receiving little assistance from the structures intended to provide them with support. The self-produced PCK is uneven, underdeveloped, and relies on teachers to use their sense of agency and identity to navigate dissonant and unbalanced activity systems. Over time, PCK production remains uneven and underdeveloped, while the individual teachers find it more and more difficult to bring balance to their activity systems, ultimately resulting in their exit from the activity system of teaching in their district and school. / Dissertation/Thesis / Ph.D. Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 2012

Esta é uma pesquisa quanti-qualitativa de estudo de caso que parte de princípios da teoria sociocultural aplicada à área de Aquisição de Segunda Língua (SL) e Língua Estrangeira (LE) e estudos de Informática na Educação a fim de investigar os efeitos da mediação de um agente pedagógico (AP) com estratégias de mediação específicas na aprendizagem colaborativa de inglês como LE em um ambiente virtual. A partir do aporte teórico desenvolvido, a metodologia desta pesquisa envolveu não só a elaboração e a aplicação de uma sequência de atividades de uso da tecnologia em tarefas colaborativas, mas, principalmente, no desenvolvimento de uma ferramenta AP integrado a uma ferramenta de mineração textual capaz de fazer intervenções nas discussões de textos em língua inglesa em uma sala de bate-papo. O contexto da pesquisa constituiu-se de uma turma de 25 estudantes de graduação em Letras/Inglês de uma universidade federal da região sul do Brasil. Primeiramente, os alunos responderam a um questionário que visou estabelecer o perfil desses aprendizes quanto ao uso da língua e da tecnologia. A coleta de dados se deu durante 6 encontros no laboratório de informática, em que os aprendizes realizaram em grupos 5 tarefas colaborativas de discussão de textos com a mediação do AP. Após as tarefas, os alunos responderam a questionários que buscaram investigar a sua percepção sobre o uso do AP na realização das tarefas e em sua aprendizagem. As interações, o uso das funções do AP e os dados dos questionários foram analisados em busca de indícios da mediação do AP no processo de aprendizagem. Com esses resultados, buscou-se contribuir na área de Informática na Educação para a pesquisa sobre o impacto de agentes pedagógicos na aprendizagem de línguas estrangeiras, sugerindo soluções para melhorar a educação apoiada por computador. Na área de Aquisição de SL/LE, pretendeu-se, ainda, trazer novos dados sobre estudos de tarefas colaborativas através da investigação da interação com o AP como um novo elemento para a comunicação mediada por computador na aprendizagem de línguas. / This is a quanti-litative case study that parts of theory sociocultural principles applied to Second Language (SL) and Foreign Language (FL) Acquisition and studies in Computers in Education in order to investigate the effects of a pedagogical agent's (PA) mediation with specific mediation strategies in English as a foreign language (EFL) collaborative learning in a virtual environment. From the theoretical framework developed, the methodology of this research involved not only the development and application of a sequence of activities using technology in EFL collaborative tasks, but mainly in the development of a PA integrated into a textual mining tool capable of doing interventions in reading discussions in a chat room. The context of the research consisted of a class of 25 graduate students in English Language and Literature in a federal university of southern Brazil. First, students answered a questionnaire that aimed to establish the profile of these learners in the use of language and technology. Data collection took place over 6 classes in the computer lab, where students did reading discussion collaborative tasks in English in a chat tool with the mediation of the PA. After the assignments, students responded to questionnaires that sought to investigate their perceptions of the role and use of the PA in carrying out the tasks and in their learning. The task interactions, the use of the PA's functions and the data from the questionnaires were analyzed in search of the PA's mediation on students' learning and motivation. With these results, the present study was intended to contribute to the field of Computers in Education for the research on the impact of PAs in FL learning, suggesting solutions to improve Computer Supported Education. In the area of SL/FL acquisition, this study aimed to bring new data on studies of collaborative tasks by investigating the interaction with the PA as a new element for computer-mediated communication in language learning.

Qatar’s education system has recently been subjected to a process of deep structural reform. One of the beliefs which underpins this reform is the assumption that learner-centred pedagogy is more effective than traditional teacher-centred pedagogy. However, there is limited empirical evidence from a Qatari classroom context regarding the effectiveness of using learner-centred pedagogies. This lack of empirical evidence extends to the teaching of English as a foreign language. This study employed Vygotskian sociocultural theory as a lens to investigate the effects of working collaboratively on learners’ longer-term performance of two grammatical structures, the simple past passive and the present continuous passive, as well as the cognitive processes involved. Interventionist dynamic assessment was used to quantify the linguistic performance of male Arabic undergraduate EFL learners (N = 52) three times (pretest, posttest, and delayed posttest) over a 12-week period. In-between the pretest and the posttest, six form-focused treatment tasks were administered. The experimental group (n = 20) completed the treatment tasks collaboratively; the comparison group (n = 16) completed the treatment tasks individually; and the control group (n = 16) did not complete the treatment tasks. In addition, the genetic method was employed to trace the linguistic development of four participants in the experimental group. These four participants were audio-recorded as they collaboratively completed each treatment session. Mood’s median test (Mood, 1954) found a pretest to posttest statistically significant difference (M = 7.70, df = 1, p = 0.01) between the performances of the experimental and control groups for the structure of the simple past passive which is moderate to large in size (Cramér’s V = 0.46). However for both target structures, no statistically significant difference was found between the experimental group and the comparison group, suggesting that the treatment condition of working collaboratively was not more effective in promoting learners’ linguistic development than the treatment condition of working individually. Additionally, the descriptive statistics revealed high levels of individual variation. Of the four participants who were audio-recorded, the journey of one learner is presented. This data was analysed using a microgenetic approach with LREs (Swain and Lapkin, 1995, 1998, 2002) as the unit of analysis. The microgenetic analysis shows how working collaboratively provides learners with access to a shared cognitive space. Within this space, they can employ language as a cognitive tool to access other-regulation from their peers and deploy their own self-regulatory strategies. The experience of an individual was explored within the context of the linguistic gains made by the collective to whom he belongs. Thus, even though the statistical analysis of the results suggests that working collaboratively is not more effective in facilitating learners’ linguistic development than working individually, the process of language learning has been connected to the outcome of language learning through the results of the descriptive statistics and the microgenetic analysis. This study contributes to a better understanding of: the types of pedagogies that may be effective in a Qatari undergraduate context, why collaborative learning can be effective, how knowledge which is initially social can take on a psychological function, and how the Vygotskian sociocultural methodologies of the genetic method and dynamic assessment can be integrated into an SLA design.

abstract: This qualitative study investigates the experiences of ten focal youth who came to the United States as refugees and were placed in Structured English Immersion (SEI) programs in Arizona high schools. The educational language policy for Arizona’s public schools (during the 2014-2015 school year) mandates SEI include four 60-minute classroom periods devoted to reading, writing, grammar, oral English exclusively. Students in SEI thus have restricted access to the full-range of general education courses required for graduation, as well as limited opportunities for social interaction with peers enrolled in the “mainstream” curriculum. The study investigates how youth understand and navigate the school language policy, practices and discourses that position them, and specifically seeks to learn how being identified as an “English Language Learner” interacts with youth’s construction of academic and social identities. Adopting a critical sociocultural theory of language policy (following McCarty, 2011), employing ethnographically-informed research methods, and using social-positioning as an analytic lens, I aim to learn from an emic youth perspective and to amplify their voices. Eight Somali and two Iraqi students took part in two individual in-depth interviews; five students participated in a focus group; and all engaged in numerous informal conversations during 22 researcher site visits to an ethnic community-based organization (ECBO) and a family apartment. Narratives recounting the participants’ lived experiences in the socio-cultural context of high school provide powerful examples of youth asserting personal agency and engaging in small acts of resistance to contest disagreeable positioning. The findings thus support the conceptualization of youth as creative producers of hybridity in response to their environments. This work also confirms the perennial significance of social categories and “othering” in high school. Though the institutional structure of separate classrooms and concomitant limited access to required courses hinder the study participants’ academic progress, the youth speak positively about the comfort of comradery and friendship in the shared safe space of the separate SEI classroom. The dissertation concludes with participants’ recommendations for educators, and the people refugee youth interact with in the context of high school, to improve refugee youth’s experience. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Educational Leadership and Policy Studies 2016

Tidigare studier har visat att det inte alltid finns ett samband mellan användning av IKT i undervisningen och positiva inlärningsresultat. Det är en fråga om hur lärare använder IKT i sin undervisning, vilka kompetenser läraren har och vilka tekniska förutsättningar som finns på skolan. Syftet med denna studie var att fördjupa kunskapen om hur lärare använder IKT i sin matematikundervisning i årskurs 4–6, samt vilka förutsättningar dessa lärare har för att bedriva matematikundervisning med IKT. Studien baserades på kvalitativa intervjuer med lärare och “utvecklingsledare” samt observationer av lärare. Resultatet bearbetades utifrån TPACK-modellen och diskuterades även utifrån ett sociokulturellt perspektiv. Resultatet visade att lärarna använde sig av IKT i matematikundervisningen på olika sätt där en undervisningsmetod som förekom var elevarbete i par med datorer, något tidigare forskning lyft fram som framgångsrikt. Studien indikerade även att goda tekniska förutsättningar ledde till en ökad IKT-användning bland eleverna. / Previous studies have shown there´s not always a connection between the use of ICT in teaching and positive learning outcomes. It's a matter of how teachers use ICT in their teaching, the teacher´s competence and the technical conditions. The aim of this study was to widen the knowledge about how teachers use ICT in their mathematics education in grades 4–6, and what conditions teachers have for implement ICT in their education. The study was based on qualitative interviews with teachers and “development leaders” and observations of teachers. The result was processed with the TPACK framework and also discussed from a sociocultural perspective. The result showed that teachers used ICT in various ways, were a teaching method that occured was students working in pairs with computers, which previous research have proved to be successful. The study also indicated that good technical conditions led to increased ICT use among students.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-26T13:44:27Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 texto completo.pdf: 4233628 bytes, checksum: e04345ad9cb7a3b2102015cfcd67c228 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-03-16 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Esta pesquisa teve por objetivo a investigação das crenças de alunos adolescentes de uma escola pública sobre a impossibilidade de aprendizagem da língua inglesa nesse contexto. O estudo de natureza interventiva foi realizado em uma turma de 32 alunos adolescentes com idade entre 13 e 15 anos em uma escola pública do estado de Minas Gerais (Brasil). O referencial teórico foi baseado em estudos da teoria sociocultural (Gallimore & Tharp, 1996; Johnson, 2006; John-Steiner & Mahn, 1996; Kinginger, 2002; Kozulin, 2003, 2004; Kozulin et al, 2003; Lantolf, 1994, 2007; Lantolf & Appel, 1994; Lantolf & Thorne, 2006; Moll, 1996; van der Veer & Valsiner, 1993, 1994, Vygotsky, 1978, 1986), crenças e mudança de crenças (Alanen, 2003; Barcelos, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2006; Barcelos & Kalaja, 2011; Basso, 2006; Conley et al, 2004; Johnson, 1999; Negueruela-Azarola, 2011; Pajares, 1992; Pintrich, Marx & Boyle, 1993; Richards & Lockhart, 1996; Richards, 1998; Tanaka & Ellis, 2003; Taylor, 2009; Tobin et al, 1994; Vieira-Abrahão, 2006; Wilkins & Ma, 2003; Yang & Kim, 2011), assim como características da adolescência (Arnett, 1999, 2006; Bandura, 2006; Basso, 2008; Buchanan, 1990, 1992; Macowski, 1993; Schunk & Meece, 2006; Pajares, 2006; Tiba, 1985; Vygotsky, 1994a, 1994b, 1998a, 1998b, 1998c). Para a metodologia, foram utilizados dois questionários semi-estruturados, uma narrativa da professora, feedback cards dos alunos, gravações de aulas em áudio, notas de campo e um grupo focal. Os resultados apontaram uma descrença dos alunos por cinco razões: indisciplina dos colegas, poucas aulas, material insuficiente, excesso de alunos por turma e a falta de um conhecimento básico na língua inglesa. Após a intervenção com o grupo, com a implementação de diferentes atividades para envolver os alunos na aprendizagem em sala de aula, suas crenças foram comparadas em termos de mudança. Os sinais de mudança nas crenças dos alunos sobre aprender inglês na escola pública foram observados como resultado de experiências positivas de aprendizagem na intervenção. Embora alguns fatores contextuais ainda influenciaram o grupo, o estudo mostrou que a mudança de crenças, apesar de difícil, é um processo que envolve prontidão, tempo e novas experiências de aprendizagem, que neste caso, foram oferecidas nas novas atividades propostas e as contínuas interpretações positivas dos alunos sobre elas. / This study aimed at investigating the beliefs of adolescent learners in a public school about the impossibility of learning English in that context. This was an intervention study carried out with 32 adolescent language learners aged between 13 and 15 years old in a public school in the state of Minas Gerais (Brazil). The theoretical framework was based on studies from sociocultural theory (Gallimore & Tharp, 1996; Johnson, 2006; John-Steiner & Mahn, 1996; Kinginger, 2002; Kozulin, 2003, 2004; Kozulin et al, 2003; Lantolf, 1994, 2007; Lantolf & Appel, 1994; Lantolf & Thorne, 2006; Moll, 1996; van der Veer & Valsiner, 1993, 1994, Vygotsky, 1978, 1986) on belief and belief change (Alanen, 2003; Barcelos, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2006; Barcelos & Kalaja, 2011; Basso, 2006; Conley et al, 2004; Johnson, 1999; Negueruela-Azarola, 2011; Pajares, 1992; Pintrich, Marx & Boyle, 1993; Richards & Lockhart, 1996; Richards, 1998; Tanaka & Ellis, 2003; Taylor, 2009; Tobin et al, 1994; Wilkins & Ma, 2003; Yang & Kim, 2011) as well as adolescence and its characteristics (Arnett, 1999, 2006; Bandura, 2006; Basso, 2008; Buchanan et al, 1990, 1992; Macowski, 1993; Schunk & Meece, 2006; Pajares, 2006; Tiba, 1985; Vygotsky, 1994a, 1994b, 1998a, 1998b, 1998c). The methodology comprised two semi-structured questionnaires, a teacher narrative, students feedback cards, audio-recorded classes, field notes and a focus group. The results suggested that students did not believe in learning English in public schools for five reasons: students disruptive talk and behavior, too few classes, insufficient materials, crowded classroom and lack of a basic knowledge in the English language. After an intervention with the group, with the implementation of different activities to engage students in classroom learning, their beliefs were compared in terms of change. Signs of change were observed in students beliefs about learning English in public school as a result of positive learning experiences in the intervention. Though contextual factors still had influence upon them, the study revealed that belief change, despite difficult, is a process that involves readiness, time and new learning experiences, which in this case, were provided in the new activities proposed and students ongoing positive interpretations of them.

Esta é uma pesquisa quanti-qualitativa de estudo de caso que parte de princípios da teoria sociocultural aplicada à área de Aquisição de Segunda Língua (SL) e Língua Estrangeira (LE) e estudos de Informática na Educação a fim de investigar os efeitos da mediação de um agente pedagógico (AP) com estratégias de mediação específicas na aprendizagem colaborativa de inglês como LE em um ambiente virtual. A partir do aporte teórico desenvolvido, a metodologia desta pesquisa envolveu não só a elaboração e a aplicação de uma sequência de atividades de uso da tecnologia em tarefas colaborativas, mas, principalmente, no desenvolvimento de uma ferramenta AP integrado a uma ferramenta de mineração textual capaz de fazer intervenções nas discussões de textos em língua inglesa em uma sala de bate-papo. O contexto da pesquisa constituiu-se de uma turma de 25 estudantes de graduação em Letras/Inglês de uma universidade federal da região sul do Brasil. Primeiramente, os alunos responderam a um questionário que visou estabelecer o perfil desses aprendizes quanto ao uso da língua e da tecnologia. A coleta de dados se deu durante 6 encontros no laboratório de informática, em que os aprendizes realizaram em grupos 5 tarefas colaborativas de discussão de textos com a mediação do AP. Após as tarefas, os alunos responderam a questionários que buscaram investigar a sua percepção sobre o uso do AP na realização das tarefas e em sua aprendizagem. As interações, o uso das funções do AP e os dados dos questionários foram analisados em busca de indícios da mediação do AP no processo de aprendizagem. Com esses resultados, buscou-se contribuir na área de Informática na Educação para a pesquisa sobre o impacto de agentes pedagógicos na aprendizagem de línguas estrangeiras, sugerindo soluções para melhorar a educação apoiada por computador. Na área de Aquisição de SL/LE, pretendeu-se, ainda, trazer novos dados sobre estudos de tarefas colaborativas através da investigação da interação com o AP como um novo elemento para a comunicação mediada por computador na aprendizagem de línguas. / This is a quanti-litative case study that parts of theory sociocultural principles applied to Second Language (SL) and Foreign Language (FL) Acquisition and studies in Computers in Education in order to investigate the effects of a pedagogical agent's (PA) mediation with specific mediation strategies in English as a foreign language (EFL) collaborative learning in a virtual environment. From the theoretical framework developed, the methodology of this research involved not only the development and application of a sequence of activities using technology in EFL collaborative tasks, but mainly in the development of a PA integrated into a textual mining tool capable of doing interventions in reading discussions in a chat room. The context of the research consisted of a class of 25 graduate students in English Language and Literature in a federal university of southern Brazil. First, students answered a questionnaire that aimed to establish the profile of these learners in the use of language and technology. Data collection took place over 6 classes in the computer lab, where students did reading discussion collaborative tasks in English in a chat tool with the mediation of the PA. After the assignments, students responded to questionnaires that sought to investigate their perceptions of the role and use of the PA in carrying out the tasks and in their learning. The task interactions, the use of the PA's functions and the data from the questionnaires were analyzed in search of the PA's mediation on students' learning and motivation. With these results, the present study was intended to contribute to the field of Computers in Education for the research on the impact of PAs in FL learning, suggesting solutions to improve Computer Supported Education. In the area of SL/FL acquisition, this study aimed to bring new data on studies of collaborative tasks by investigating the interaction with the PA as a new element for computer-mediated communication in language learning.

Com a atual crise ambiental, surgem diversos desafios para que a conservação dos ambientes naturais seja possível. Diante disso, a educação se torna uma importante aliada na promoção de um engajamento social para a solução dos problemas que a crise abrange. Nesse sentido, os zoológicos apresentam um grande potencial para se abordar a temática na tentativa de possibilitar hábitos e atitudes em prol da conservação da biodiversidade. Desta forma, esta pesquisa teve como objetivo analisar o diálogo entre os significados atribuídos à conservação, a partir da perspectiva da instituição e de seus públicos. Para isso, procurou-se explicitar as percepções dos visitantes sobre o discurso expositivo quanto à conservação biológica, utilizando-se uma abordagem sociocultural baseada nos trabalhos de Vygotsky. Além disso, buscou-se identificar como a conservação da biodiversidade é abordada na exposição \"O Pulo do Sapo\" mantida pela Fundação Parque Zoológico de São Paulo (FPZSP) a partir do discurso expositivo e de seus conceptores. Assim, foram realizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas com quatro conceptores da exposição e oito grupos familiares que a visitaram no período da pesquisa, cujas conversas durante o percurso da visita foram registradas em áudio e vídeo. Para a análise, foram desenvolvidas categorias que permitissem identificar diferentes aspectos da conservação biológica passíveis de serem abordados pelos diferentes sujeitos. Com base nessas categorias, percebe-se que o discurso científico-naturalístico valorizado tanto pela exposição quanto por seus conceptores não é percebido pelos públicos na complexidade com que é abordado. Nesse aspecto, as conversas dos públicos foram basicamente de caráter empírico e pautadas na observação direta e fortemente associadas a uma experiência estética ao despertarem, principalmente, sentimentos de admiração e apreço pelos anfíbios. Além disso, tanto os visitantes como os profissionais relacionaram a conservação biológica ao valor intrínseco atribuído a todos os seres vivos. Por outro lado, embora os conceptores considerem múltiplas formas de se promover a conservação e estas sejam apresentadas na exposição, os visitantes se referiram apenas às ações cotidianas em nível individual, o que não foi abordado pela exposição. Com isso, pode-se considerar que a exposição apresenta certas limitações que podem ter implicações em suas intenções comunicativas. Por outro lado, ainda assim, trata-se de um espaço extremamente importante ao aproximar o público desse grupo de animais e, por isso, a iniciativa da FPZSP é imensamente válida ao permitir que seus visitantes possam \"perceber\" os anfíbios. Para uma complexificação das atribuições de sentidos, é possível que uma abordagem expositiva que polemize sobre os múltiplos aspectos envolvidos na conservação das espécies possa potencializar as elaborações conversacionais sobre o tema, além de ampliar os repertórios conceituais e culturais de seus diferentes públicos. No que se refere às categorias desenvolvidas, espera-se que possam ser utilizadas e aprimoradas como instrumentos de análise que auxiliem os setores educativos dessas instituições a avaliarem suas práticas, 10 procurando aperfeiçoá-las como ações para a conservação. Contudo, para que se possa averiguar o efetivo potencial dessas categorias, fazem-se necessários mais estudos a esse respeito. / There are many challenges for environmental conservation, considering current environmental crisis. Thus, education becomes an important ally to promote social engagement in creative and conative solutions for environmental crisis. In this sense, zoos have great potential to broach this issue in an attempt to promote habits and attitudes in favour of biodiversity conservation in their audiences. In this manner, this study aimed to analyze the meanings attributed to conservation from institution and audience perspective. We tried to explain visitors perceptions about exhibition discourse related to biological conservation, using a socio-cultural approach based on Vygotsky\'s work. In addition, it sought to identify how biodiversity conservation is addressed in the exhibition \"The Frog\'s Leap\" held by the Foundation Zoological Park of Sao Paulo (FPZSP), considering exhibition discourse and its designers. Thus, semi-structured interviews with four exhibition designers and eight visitor groups (families) were carried out. Audience conversations were also recorded during the visit. For the analysis, categories were developed that allowed identifying different aspects that can be considered in relation to biological conservation. Based on these categories, it is clear that the scientific-naturalistic speech valued by both the exhibition and by its designers is not perceived by the public in the complexity with which it is addressed. In this respect, audience talks were basically empirical and guided by direct observation. These interactions were strongly associated with aesthetic experience, which could promote admiration and appreciation related to amphibians. In addition, both visitors and professionals linked biological conservation to an intrinsic value assigned to all living beings. On the other hand, although designers consider multiple ways to promote conservation, which are presented in exhibition, visitors were relative to everyday individual actions. These actions are not covered by exhibition. Thus, it can be considered that exhibition presents certain limitations that may have implications on their communicative intentions. On the other hand, still, this is a very important educational action due its potential to approximate audience and amphibians. Therefore, FPZSP initiative is hugely valid by allowing visitors to \"notice\" this animal group. Furthermore, it is possible that an educational and communicational approach that engage visitors in polemics about many aspects involved environmental conservation can enhance conversational elaborations, in addition to expanding conceptual and cultural audience repertoires. With regard to new categories presented, it is expected that they can be used and refined as analytical tools that help educational sectors to assess their practices, seeking to improve actions for conservation, but more research is necessary in this regard.

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / O Brasil vivencia um perÃodo de imersÃo tecnolÃgica em todas as Ãreas da sociedade, e a cada dia sÃo criadas tecnologias que potencializam as diversas atividades humanas. A escola deve acompanhar as mudanÃas advindas dos avanÃos tecnolÃgicos e ficar atenta Ãs novas possibilidades educacionais para desenvolver prÃticas contemporÃneas, a partir da inserÃÃo de computadores em atividades curriculares. Estes recursos possibilitam a interaÃÃo nas atividades em grupo, na troca de ideias e opiniÃes; ou para a pesquisa de outras realidades. Dessa forma, este estudo tem por objetivo analisar como o computador, por meio de recursos digitais, utilizados em atividades realizadas colaborativamente, pode fazer emergir Zonas de Desenvolvimento Proximal (ZDP). Esta pesquisa foi desenvolvida em uma escola pÃblica municipal de Aquiraz/CE, em grupos de dois ou mais aprendentes. Foi utilizada a metodologia qualitativa, com carÃter interpretativo. A tÃcnica de pesquisa envolveu a observaÃÃo participante, com anÃlise microgenÃtica, e, como instrumentos de coleta de dados, vÃdeos e diÃrios de campo. As atividades planejadas envolveram as disciplinas curriculares, o uso do computador e alguns recursos da Internet. Os procedimentos metodolÃgicos foram considerados a partir de uma abordagem microgenÃtica, e definidos com a fundamentaÃÃo de pesquisadores contemporÃneos, como ColaÃo et al. (2007) e Meira e Lerman (2009), que ampliaram e interpretaram novos conceitos da ZDP de Vygotsky (1994). Os resultados foram analisados de acordo com categorias, no momento da anÃlise dos dados. A primeira categoria â InteraÃÃo entre pares â foi detalhada como as atividades em grupo, e a participaÃÃo dos pares contribuiu no desenvolvimento de ZDP. A segunda categoria â InteraÃÃo com alguÃm mais experiente â envolveu contribuiÃÃes e assistÃncia de alguÃm mais experiente, contribuindo para facilitaÃÃo da aprendizagem. Na categoria seguinte â Suporte da tecnologia â foram detalhados o uso da tecnologia pelos alunos e as contribuiÃÃes desse recurso para os processos de ensino e aprendizagem. Na Ãltima categoria â Protagonismo estudantil â foi discutida a maneira como os alunos conseguiram ultrapassar seu nÃvel de desenvolvimento, podendo atuar como autores do prÃprio conhecimento, sendo observadas duas caracterÃsticas: Ativismo e Autonomia. Os resultados destacaram momentos em que os recursos, aliados à interaÃÃo entre pares, promovem e facilitam a emergÃncia de ZDP, acarretando aprendizagem e promovendo atuaÃÃes e posturas de autoria desses aprendentes em seu processo. / Brazil is experiencing a period of technological immersion in all areas of society and every day, technologies are created that power the various human activities. The school should monitor the resulting changes of technological resources and be open to new educational possibilities to develop contemporary practices, from the inclusion of computers in school activities. Computers are features that enable interaction in group activities, the exchange of ideas and opinions; or the research of other realities. Thus, this study aims to analyze how the computer through digital resources used in activities collaboratively, can emerge Proximal Development Zone (ZDP). This research was developed in a municipal school in Aquiraz / CE, in groups of two or more learners. Qualitative methodology with interpretative character was used. The research technique involved participant observation, with micro genetic analysis and as tools for collecting videos and daily data field. Planned activities included the curriculum subjects, the use of computer and some Internet resources. The methodological procedures were considered from a micro genetic approach, and defined with the statement of contemporary researchers, as Meira and Lerman (2009) and Colaco et al. (2007) which expanded and interpreted new concepts of the ZDP Vygotsky (1994). The results were analyzed according to categories at the time of data analysis. In the first category, interaction among peers, was detailed as group activities, and peer contribution contributed to the development of the zone. In the second category, interaction with someone more experienced, involved contributions and assistance from someone more experienced, contributing to facilitating learning. The next third, technology support, has detailed the use of technology by students and contributions of this resource for teaching and learning processes. In the last category, student Protagonism discussed how students managed to overcome their level of development and can act as author of knowledge itself, and observed two characteristics: Activism and autonomy. The results highlighted times when resources combined with peer interaction promote and facilitate the emergence of ZPD, resulting in learning, promoting performances and authoring postures of these learners in the process.