The aims of the Group are described in four interrelated components:

Theory

As a key dimension of its activities, the Group aims to carry the production, reinterpretation, extension and application of theoretical developments in the domain of learning and development of competencies using mathematical and technological artefacts. Main research question to be addressed is: how do activity theory, situated learning and critical education articulate to produce knowledge about forms of learning in practices, with special attention when people use mathematics and technology in social practices? The general objective is to develop and consolidate an empirically grounded understanding of how learning develops in practices.

Cases

Empirical evidence is a key component in the research to be developed by the Group as the production of theoretical frameworks on learning necessarily takes place against empirical work. The analysis of social practices is a strategy in search of evidence to support theoretical claims. Therefore, the objective in the empirical field is the production of a set of case studies in various social practices (e.g. school mathematics, medical care, restaurant service).

Methodology

A methodological, ethical and political component is included in the Group Programme aiming to produce knowledge on the articulations of theoretical development and empirical evidence – the relationships between the theoretical field and the empirical field of the research. In particular, the Group has the objective of analysing and providing a rationale for the use of ethnographic and participatory action-research in the practice of research taking as key questions: how to work with and in communities of practice to unveil aspects of the practice that allow the researchers and the practitioners to understand and promote learning? how to develop analysis of practices (with practitioners) in a coherent but also useful and valuable form? how to report empirical research in a usable and attracting form both to practitioners and to the research community?  

Intervention

From the 11 non-PhD members of the Group, 6 are getting their PhD and 3 their MEd in the next 3 years. However, the Group does not intend to stay strictly in the purely academic field but to also having an impact on people who engage in the practice of collaborative and participatory action-research. In parallel special attention is dedicated to diffusion of ideas and results through publications, conferences and seminars.