School centers: spaces of transformative collaboration among preschool and first cycle teachers

Abstract

Teacher collaborative practices have been the subject of increasing attention, particularly regarding their impact on improving professional performance and the quality of teaching. The restructuring of the school network in Portugal, which occurred two decades ago, brought together teachers from the initial education levels (previously teaching in dispersed establishments) in school centers. This article presents data from a case study conducted in Portuguese school centers, considering whether this aggregation fostered the observation of practices among teachers, enhancing attitudes of dialogue and collaboration, and what its repercussions were on teachers’ professional development. Four focus group interviews were conducted, involving twenty-eight preschool and first-cycle of basic education teachers, supplemented by seven individual interviews. The main results highlighted the burdens of the tradition of individualism and confirmed the advantages of school restructuring. Indeed, the aggregation led to reconfigurations in interactions, work methodologies, and curricular practices of the involved teachers. The conclusions point to the viability of the school center’s role as a privileged formative resource that is easily accessible, contributing significantly to the improvement of professional performance. A more expressive contribution to peer interaction and work was recognized in place of institutionalized training.