Abstract:

The Trialogical Learning Approach (Paavola, Hakkareinen, 2005) is based on the idea of ​​learning as a socio-cultural construct (Vygotsky, 1978) that is built through the interactions of individuals participating in communities of practice (Wenger et al., 2002). In that context, individual learning is mediated by social learning (Lave, Wenger, 1991), since knowledge is first of all a product that is created through negotiations of group members who interact with the aim of creating useful and motivating trialogical objects, promoting the externalization of knowledge (Bruner, 1991) and the effective integration between individual and collective agency (Scardamalia, Bereiter, 2006). The fact that these objects are intended for a concrete use and that they have significant purposes that go beyond the group that created them, expanding towards other contexts, times, spaces, brings the concept of 'trialogical artifact' closer to that of 'boundary object' (Wenger, 1998): the co-constructed object recovers the role of the community, of the network, and connects different communities "promoting the exchange of discursive repertoires and work practices, activating a virtuous spiral of new learning and development opportunities at individual and community level” (Sansone, Cesareni, Ligorio, 2016, p. 84).

The context of the paper concerns an online Master held by Unitelma Sapienza (Rome, IT) and dedicated to teachers, trainers and educators of different fields, levels and disciplines. During the training path, learners are called to participate in a variety of meaningful activities, each leading to the creation of knowledge artifacts, following the Trialogical Learning Approach. Here we focus on the “Multimedial Context” activity: 15 groups of four members covering specific roles and having the assignment of creating an articulated learning resource composed of video-pill, infographic and quiz, around a chosen theme (e.g., a digital tool or a methodology or a best practice). Applying a qualitative approach, the study analyzes the online logbooks compiled during the group activity (N=84, 742 unit of analysis), with the main goal of detecting the impact of this learning device to act as a “meta” boundary object while the learners are involved in the construction of concrete objects. Different kinds of content analysis will focus on: a. identity positioning (individual vs group: “We have created this new group to share a new experience together, different from those lived so far in our school reality, to enrich each other and achieve further personal, cultural and professional growth”), b. mediation (object vs tools: “Google Docs are easy to use and allow you to comment and work with multiple hands, being able to share with the rest of the group quickly and effectively”), c. collaboration (implemented strategies vs perceptions: “The numerous school commitments of this period are making the development of our project a little difficult, in compliance with the scheduled times, but we are trying to do everything possible to continue and work in a positive way”). Considering the purpose of our study, the results allow us to state that learning log books represent standardized forms of boundary objects (Star and Griesemer, 1989) that allow professionals members of different communities of practice to exchange ideas, concepts and instruments from seemingly unrelated domains into the domain of focal inquiry, triggering reflective practices and processes.

Keywords:

Online learning logbooks, trialogical approach, teachers' training.