The bodily experiences and implications of understanding the functioning of the human brain–body mechanism has been a center of attention in the field of cognitive neurosciences for over two decades. Research in this field has enlarged the theories of learning and development, and contributed to changes in educational practices involving language processing, mathematics, and spatial thinking; however, these changes have not yet been applied to the analysis of transversal competencies such as collaborative learning. The aim of this paper is to bridge the theoretical and applied advances in the field of embodied cognition, specifically collaborative learning. The definitions, theoretical frameworks, and current methodological approaches in the field of collaborative learning are reviewed, with a particular focus on those studies that have investigated interactive dynamics in collaborative situations. The need to take the field further by exploring the theoretical perspective of embodied cognition as a possibility that can open the field is also presented. The relevance of investigating learning in groups by analyzing bodily engagements and intersubjectivity is demonstrated and methodological considerations are raised.

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With a global extent, the pandemic of the new coronavirus and the resulting measures to contain the contagion imposed immediate changes in the routine of people and societies. In view of this historical event, the first part of this theoretical study discussed its relationship with the concept of crisis, while circumscribing human development processes, mobilizing reorganizations in life trajectories. In the second part, the intensification of the use of digital tools to support communication during social isolation was highlighted, particularly reflecting on new interactive arrangements and inter-corporeal experiences. The paper reflects on the proximal processes in the new interactive and contextual configurations through the bioecological theory of human development and, based on concepts of the enactive theory, discusses possible implications of the new perceptual fields and the production of meanings with the repositioning of the body and new modes of engagement. The study highlights that the changes, events, relationships, and effects that we are experiencing (trans)form our forms of sociability and bases of psyche.

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In the present study, learning in school was studied from the students' perspectives in two different national contexts. The aim was to explore students' learning experiences in school by identifying what are the core elements of learning for secondary school students. We conducted the study with a qualitative approach in which photos taken by the students during their school routines were used to elicit group discussion about how learning is experienced and defined. Participants were two groups of 13-15-year-old students, one from Finland and one from Brazil. Results show that the anatomy of learning is varied in students' experiences and that their perceptions of learning in school are defined by the way students signify the interaction with others, their relation with materials, their understanding of the pedagogical actions and practices, and how learning is contextualized by time. The study contributes to discussions on how to consider and incorporate students' perspectives into the development of pedagogical practices, and by the dialogue between Finnish and Brazilian perspectives, we point out core elements for the learning experiences of secondary school students raising questions of learning processes as complex and culturally contextualized.

The social distancing imposed by the pandemic transformed how people interact with others, and little is known about how it has impacted new ways of sociability and if culture influences this process. This is a qualitative study exploring changes in the configurations of social interactions and the resources for sociability that adults in Brazil, the USA, and Finland have developed during the initial stage of quarantine. A total of 95 participants (ages between 20 and 60) experiencing social isolation either living alone or with their partners (without children) completed online questionnaires about their interactive experiences. The questionnaire was composed of multiple choices, addressing the frequency, types, and length of social interactions before and during the pandemic, and open questions focusing on the participants’ experiences on online interactions during the pandemic. Frequencies were analyzed through a paired-sample t-test, and open-ended responses were thematically analyzed. Results revealed, first, that social isolation did not represent a significant change in the composition of the participants’ social network, but family bonds became the main connection during the period, and other sources of social interaction were kept due to the possibility of interaction through virtual means. Although the frequency of social interactions reduced, their significance increased. Second, virtual environments reframed social interactions, influencing individual’s bodily perceptions such as differences in attentional demands, communication processes, and awareness of their own image, and the interaction itself. Third, cultural values seemed to influence the way participants signified their interactive experiences. This study suggests that although virtual environments changed the ways interactions happen, virtual encounters were essential for maintaining participants’ social networks.

In this study, we investigated children's perceptions of their learning experiences in early childhood education and care using data from two different settings: Brazil and Finland. We adopted a qualitative and cross-national research design. Photographs were used to gather children's representations of their learning places and spaces and also later to elicit reflections during group interviews. This process of using photographs allowed us to elicit children's perceptions about their learning. The analysis consisted of content categorization of the photographs, content analysis of the interviews, and juxtaposition of materials in a comparative framework. The children represented and conceived their learning experience in four categories of school spaces: objects, actions, significant others, and cultural practices. By analyzing each of these categories, we identify five core elements of children's perceptions about their learning: relevance of peer interactions; recognition of learning through play; children's acknowledgment of their own competence for learning; school spaces as places for learning actions; and present time as the timeframe for learning. Practical implications of these findings are discussed, including the importance and relevance of considering children's perceptions. Keywords Learning spaces • Children's perceptions • Cultural practices • Multicultural research Résumé Dans cette étude, nous avons examiné les perceptions des enfants de leurs expériences d'apprentissage dans les services d'éducation et de garde de la petite enfance à l'aide de données provenant de deux milieux différents: le Brésil et la Finlande. Nous avons adopté un devis de recherche qualitatif et plurinational. Des photographies ont servi à recueillir les représentations des enfants de leurs espaces d'apprentissage et également, à un stade ultérieur, à susciter des réflexions chez les enfants lors d'entretiens

The article offers insights into the discussion of the terms 'special' and 'inclusive' applied