Marcus V S Kucharski | UTFPR - UNIVERSIDADE TECNOLOGICA FEDERAL DO PARANÁ (original) (raw)
Open Published Book Chapters and Papers by Marcus V S Kucharski
Uma reflexão sobre o que pode vir a ser considerado o lado positivo da transgressão que as mentes... more Uma reflexão sobre o que pode vir a ser considerado o lado positivo da transgressão que as mentes inquietas e digitalizadas têm promovido em nossas escolas, especialmente quando no âmbito do uso de AVA e outras tecnologias digitais de apoio à aprendizagem.
Investigação dos pontos de vista docente e discente quanto ao uso de ambientes virtuais de aprend... more Investigação dos pontos de vista docente e discente quanto ao uso de ambientes virtuais de aprendizagem em disciplinas presenciais e semipresenciais de cursos de graduação. Este artigo foi, posteriormente, publicado como capítulo de livro em obra da professora Iolanda Bueno de Camargo Cortelazzo.
Este artigo traz considerações acerca dos percalços e sucessos na implementação de uma proposta i... more Este artigo traz considerações acerca dos percalços e sucessos na implementação de uma proposta inovadora de ensino e aprendizagem com NTIC realizada ao longo dos dois últimos anos por uma IES privada paranaense. Situadas numa região limítrofe entre os estudos de
Comunicação e Tecnologia e aqueles de Profissionalização Docente e Formação, as três pesquisas que geraram a presente comunicação – duas das quais ainda inéditas – partiram do pressuposto de que o trabalho educativo não-presencial, especialmente mediado em ambientes virtuais de aprendizagem (AVA), justifica-se pela proposta metodológica da interatividade, da aprendizagem colaborativa, da co-autoria, ou seja, do âmbito das propostas do paradigma da
complexidade na Educação (BEHRENS, 2006). A partir dos indicadores de interatividade pedagógica apontados por Marco Silva ([s.d.] e 2004), da delimitação de interatividade feita por Andrew Lippman (1998) e da explicitação dos pressupostos teórico-metodológicos
construcionistas subjacentes à arquitetura do AVA TelEduc feita por Heloísa Rocha, Jane Oeiras e outros (2001 e 2002), o artigo apresenta as conclusões iniciais de pesquisas realizadas na citada IES desde 2006/2 durante o processo de inserção de disciplinas semipresenciais em seus cursos de graduação dentro do preconizado pela Portaria Ministerial 4.059 de 10/12/2004. Os resultados das investigações comprovam a tendência de aplicar ao trabalho com mediação de AVA os pressupostos metodológicos típicos do ensino tradicional
e a precedência da adoção de um discurso tecnológico-progressista em relação à apropriação efetiva de competências e habilidades de ensino inovador com mediação tecnológica. Há duas opções de reação comum às constatações desse tipo: contentar-se com a superficialidade ou
capitular ao percebê-la, ambas dois erros fatais aos projetos bem-intencionados de se implementar uma nova forma de educar. No que tange à IES pesquisada, nenhuma das duas ocorreu, predominando um esforço de recriação do processo de formação docente para atuação realmente inovadora à distância.
Resumo A pesquisa brasileira sobre EAD tem crescido exponencialmente desde 1996, quando a LDB abr... more Resumo A pesquisa brasileira sobre EAD tem crescido exponencialmente desde 1996, quando a LDB abriu as portas da Educação Superior também à modalidade. Entretanto, o grande número de estudos nacionais sobre o assunto tem feito transparecer uma lacuna na investigação sobre aspectos da vivência e das manifestações culturais – especialmente relacionais – que se estabelecem em ambientes virtuais de estudos. Parte da lacuna se deve a um receio científico de não se estar em posse do instrumental correto para o trabalho, receio que advém, em boa parte, de um momento de dúvida da academia sobre a natureza cultural das comunidades virtuais: são novas culturas gestadas pelas possibilidades das tecnologias de informação e comunicação (TIC) ou manifestações culturais virtuais adaptadas daquelas já presentes no " mundo real " ? Baseado em trabalhos de ponta-de-lança sobre o assunto, especialmente no da inglesa Christine Hine (2005 e 2008), que prega adaptações importantes aos princípios tradicionais da pesquisa etnográfica (como os de Clifford Geertz [1989]) para a investigação cultural virtual, e fundamentado no entendimento das comunidades virtuais como formações societais discursivamente delimitadas, propostas por Jacob Mey (2001), este artigo pretende provocar um pouco mais a discussão do assunto propondo que a superação da lacuna observada depende, antes de tudo, de uma atitude (pro)positiva diante do desafio. O artigo, resultado de um esforço epistemológico para construir base metodológica para pesquisas que temos realizado sobre fatores relacionais em ambientes virtuais, também propõe quatro super-categorias de pesquisa que se pretendem mais estáveis para a investigação cultural de grupos no ciberespaço e uma proposta inicial de encaminhamento a pesquisa pelo viés da manifestação lingüística, sem intenção de ser uma receita metodológica. A pesquisa brasileira sobre EAD: numerosa, mas ainda lacunar O Brasil, ainda que atrasado em relação às experiências tecnológicas realizadas por
Bringing the best possibilities of digital technologies to the benefit of education is a positive... more Bringing the best possibilities of digital technologies to the benefit of education is a positive trend we observe nowadays. Many continuous formation courses for teachers are offered by numerous schools and educational groups all over the world. In Brazil, we had the opportunity to research the establishment of interpersonal pedagogical relations in one of the most innovative initiatives in this area, and the conclusions we came to were disappointing from the standpoint of those who firmly believe that, digitally-enhanced or not, educational processes are, above everything else, personal, and taking this characteristic away from them leaves little or no significant progresses in building new or remodeling meaningful knowledge.
In the second semester of 2012, a first experiment with concept maps (CMs) as pre-writing and col... more In the second semester of 2012, a first experiment with concept maps (CMs) as pre-writing and collaborative work technology with 130 undergraduate students in Curitiba (Brazil) proved to be a powerful team and argumentative competence-building resource. Constructed over the principles of meaningful learning () and the efficacy of using CMs in collaborative working scenarios (TORRES & KUCHARSKI, 2012), the experiment showed noticeable quality gain in works presented by the study population in three different undergraduate courses, showing an average of 15% higher grades. The research design, application and a first discussion of its results are presented in this paper.
Since its re-democratization in 1989, Brazil has experienced numerous changes to its educational ... more Since its re-democratization in 1989, Brazil has experienced numerous changes to its educational system: from school infrastructure to teacher training and career plans, from curricular modifications and student retaining programs to new assessment methods. In spite of it all, what we have harvested are shaming low results both in national (SANTANA, 2014) and international assessments (PISA, 2012), leaving us way behind other countries whose economies are similar or less complex than our own – fueling the emigration of many of our most brilliant minds to more developed centers. In looking back carefully, it is possible to grasp some repetitive mistakes that have consistently contributed to our state of things, mistakes we will present and discuss in this chapter, especially as we list the ten principles needed to fight them. Since early 2013, conversations have begun among various intellectuals in Southern Brazil toward the creation of an educational movement based on the belief that what education really needs is to set a certain number of principles over which to think and base all new developments that aim at a better, more effective educational formation of the citizen (and the professional, and the politically-conscious person). The shared views among its participants, which are currently been titled Education By Principles, are what the proposed oral presentation and chapter mean to disclose, establishing a wider ring of collaboration from trading experiences with as many colleagues are interested in similar propositions.
Talks by Marcus V S Kucharski
(Teaching how to teach / Or: my stamp album of giants) Guiding PowerPoint slides from a talk I d... more (Teaching how to teach / Or: my stamp album of giants)
Guiding PowerPoint slides from a talk I delivered during the VI Academic Week of Physics at the Federal University of Technology - Paraná. In it, from a collection of phrases from great teachers who have made a difference in my formation, I sketch a desirable professional profile for teachers in initial training.
Guia de palestra que proferi durante a VI Semana Acadêmica de Física da UTFPR, em 1º de dezembro de 2016. Nela, a partir de frases coletadas de grandes professores que marcaram minha formação, traço um perfil das características essenciais de um egresso de Licenciatura.
Muitas são as concepções equivocadas que cercam o fenômeno da leitura em nossa época. Por desconh... more Muitas são as concepções equivocadas que cercam o fenômeno da leitura em nossa época. Por desconhecermos seu atual alcance, muitas vezes propomos " tratamentos " visando a uma " cura " que, talvez, sequer seja necessária – porque talvez a " doença " sequer exista. Dentre os equívocos mais comumente repetidos no ambiente escolar (infelizmente pelos professores e administradores do espaço privilegiado), estão os que dão conta de que: 1. hoje não se lê mais tanto quanto antigamente; 2. os livros perderam o encanto para as novas gerações; 3. hoje não se lê mais " boa literatura ". Para que este artigo atinja seu objetivo, é preciso que contra-argumentemos devidamente a cada uma dessas afirmações. Depois, é preciso que se dê conta de traçar um panorama mais esclarecedor sobre o que acontece com leituras e leitores neste início do século XXI.
Copyrighted Published Book Chapters and Papers by Marcus V S Kucharski
More than forming technically competent professionals, universities face a new challenge: doing s... more More than forming technically competent professionals, universities face a new challenge: doing so under specific principles that can only be achieved by developing competencies and abilities that are extremely valuable for today's work market, such as being able to work in groups, being aware of the many possibilities of facing and solving problems, being open to constant negotiations and readily-adaptable to new work scenarios. The best way to develop such abilities and competencies is in the contexts in which they will be demanded. The incorporation of building concept maps to a teaching-learning methodology developed for a virtual learning environment of a respected Brazilian University was a successful experiment, one whose positive results in encouraging and developing such competencies and abilities deserves to be presented and discussed, which is what we intend to do in this chapter.
The act of doing research, reviewing recent literature, checking data, and articulating results a... more The act of doing research, reviewing recent literature, checking data, and articulating results and meanings are important but not enough when working with scientific publications in graduate schools. A vital part of the work is authoring an informative text that can be clear enough as to communicate findings of the study and, at the same time, reinforce chosen arguments. This chapter focuses on an experiment at a renowned Brazilian graduate school of education, which uses concept mapping and collective assessment of such maps as fundamental pre-writing stages to guide the authorship of well-thought, well-knit scientific/argumentative texts. Results indicate that the experiment was successful in making students negotiate meanings, clarify ideas and purposes, and write in an academically acceptable style. All this was conducted from a methodological standpoint that makes meaningful knowledge, collective construction, and the reflective, critical work of the author (from the first draft to the final collectively written version given), the foundations to perform a better job at communicating the processes and results of the investigative work.
The continuous growth of distance education (DE) programs in all levels, powered by the developme... more The continuous growth of distance education (DE) programs in all levels, powered by the development of new information and communication technologies (ICT), brings new challenges: how can educational
research be made in non-presential, asynchronous settings? How can we scientifically approach student bodies formed by people who rarely even share the same hometown and only meet online in virtual learning
environments (VLE)? How can we “observe” such groups’ interpersonal, pedagogical relations and their impact on learning? In countries like Brazil, where DE programs have grown vertiginously in few years, many researchers have made significant efforts to answer these questions coherently, efforts that demanded that some principles of traditional educational research be rethought with the help of local and international researches. Interesting methodological approaches to DE groups have resulted from these efforts, and we present and discuss one that has been constantly growing: the virtual ethnographic.
Papers by Marcus V S Kucharski
Handbook of Research on Practices and Outcomes in Virtual Worlds and Environments, 2012
The continuous growth of distance education (DE) programs in all levels, powered by the developme... more The continuous growth of distance education (DE) programs in all levels, powered by the development of new information and communication technologies (ICT), brings new challenges: how can educational research be made in non-presential, asynchronous settings? How can we scientifically approach student bodies formed by people who rarely even share the same hometown and only meet online in virtual learning environments (VLE)? How can we “observe” such groups’ interpersonal, pedagogical relations and their impact on learning? In countries like Brazil, where DE programs have grown vertiginously in few years, many researchers have made significant efforts to answer these questions coherently, efforts that demanded that some principles of traditional educational research be rethought with the help of local and international researches. Interesting methodological approaches to DE groups have resulted from these efforts, and we present and discuss one that has been constantly growing: the vi...
Cases on Teaching Critical Thinking through Visual Representation Strategies, 2014
Concepts, Methodologies, Tools and Applications, 2012
More than forming technically competent professionals, universities face a new challenge: doing s... more More than forming technically competent professionals, universities face a new challenge: doing so under specific principles that can only be achieved by developing competencies and abilities that are extremely valuable for today's work market, such as being able to work in groups, being aware of the many possibilities of facing and solving problems, being open to constant negotiations and readily-adaptable to new work scenarios. The best way to develop such abilities and competencies is in the contexts in which they will be demanded. The incorporation of building concept maps to a teaching-learning methodology developed for a virtual learning environment of a respected Brazilian University was a successful experiment, one whose positive results in encouraging and developing such competencies and abilities deserves to be presented and discussed, which is what we intend to do in this chapter.
Uma reflexão sobre o que pode vir a ser considerado o lado positivo da transgressão que as mentes... more Uma reflexão sobre o que pode vir a ser considerado o lado positivo da transgressão que as mentes inquietas e digitalizadas têm promovido em nossas escolas, especialmente quando no âmbito do uso de AVA e outras tecnologias digitais de apoio à aprendizagem.
Investigação dos pontos de vista docente e discente quanto ao uso de ambientes virtuais de aprend... more Investigação dos pontos de vista docente e discente quanto ao uso de ambientes virtuais de aprendizagem em disciplinas presenciais e semipresenciais de cursos de graduação. Este artigo foi, posteriormente, publicado como capítulo de livro em obra da professora Iolanda Bueno de Camargo Cortelazzo.
Este artigo traz considerações acerca dos percalços e sucessos na implementação de uma proposta i... more Este artigo traz considerações acerca dos percalços e sucessos na implementação de uma proposta inovadora de ensino e aprendizagem com NTIC realizada ao longo dos dois últimos anos por uma IES privada paranaense. Situadas numa região limítrofe entre os estudos de
Comunicação e Tecnologia e aqueles de Profissionalização Docente e Formação, as três pesquisas que geraram a presente comunicação – duas das quais ainda inéditas – partiram do pressuposto de que o trabalho educativo não-presencial, especialmente mediado em ambientes virtuais de aprendizagem (AVA), justifica-se pela proposta metodológica da interatividade, da aprendizagem colaborativa, da co-autoria, ou seja, do âmbito das propostas do paradigma da
complexidade na Educação (BEHRENS, 2006). A partir dos indicadores de interatividade pedagógica apontados por Marco Silva ([s.d.] e 2004), da delimitação de interatividade feita por Andrew Lippman (1998) e da explicitação dos pressupostos teórico-metodológicos
construcionistas subjacentes à arquitetura do AVA TelEduc feita por Heloísa Rocha, Jane Oeiras e outros (2001 e 2002), o artigo apresenta as conclusões iniciais de pesquisas realizadas na citada IES desde 2006/2 durante o processo de inserção de disciplinas semipresenciais em seus cursos de graduação dentro do preconizado pela Portaria Ministerial 4.059 de 10/12/2004. Os resultados das investigações comprovam a tendência de aplicar ao trabalho com mediação de AVA os pressupostos metodológicos típicos do ensino tradicional
e a precedência da adoção de um discurso tecnológico-progressista em relação à apropriação efetiva de competências e habilidades de ensino inovador com mediação tecnológica. Há duas opções de reação comum às constatações desse tipo: contentar-se com a superficialidade ou
capitular ao percebê-la, ambas dois erros fatais aos projetos bem-intencionados de se implementar uma nova forma de educar. No que tange à IES pesquisada, nenhuma das duas ocorreu, predominando um esforço de recriação do processo de formação docente para atuação realmente inovadora à distância.
Resumo A pesquisa brasileira sobre EAD tem crescido exponencialmente desde 1996, quando a LDB abr... more Resumo A pesquisa brasileira sobre EAD tem crescido exponencialmente desde 1996, quando a LDB abriu as portas da Educação Superior também à modalidade. Entretanto, o grande número de estudos nacionais sobre o assunto tem feito transparecer uma lacuna na investigação sobre aspectos da vivência e das manifestações culturais – especialmente relacionais – que se estabelecem em ambientes virtuais de estudos. Parte da lacuna se deve a um receio científico de não se estar em posse do instrumental correto para o trabalho, receio que advém, em boa parte, de um momento de dúvida da academia sobre a natureza cultural das comunidades virtuais: são novas culturas gestadas pelas possibilidades das tecnologias de informação e comunicação (TIC) ou manifestações culturais virtuais adaptadas daquelas já presentes no " mundo real " ? Baseado em trabalhos de ponta-de-lança sobre o assunto, especialmente no da inglesa Christine Hine (2005 e 2008), que prega adaptações importantes aos princípios tradicionais da pesquisa etnográfica (como os de Clifford Geertz [1989]) para a investigação cultural virtual, e fundamentado no entendimento das comunidades virtuais como formações societais discursivamente delimitadas, propostas por Jacob Mey (2001), este artigo pretende provocar um pouco mais a discussão do assunto propondo que a superação da lacuna observada depende, antes de tudo, de uma atitude (pro)positiva diante do desafio. O artigo, resultado de um esforço epistemológico para construir base metodológica para pesquisas que temos realizado sobre fatores relacionais em ambientes virtuais, também propõe quatro super-categorias de pesquisa que se pretendem mais estáveis para a investigação cultural de grupos no ciberespaço e uma proposta inicial de encaminhamento a pesquisa pelo viés da manifestação lingüística, sem intenção de ser uma receita metodológica. A pesquisa brasileira sobre EAD: numerosa, mas ainda lacunar O Brasil, ainda que atrasado em relação às experiências tecnológicas realizadas por
Bringing the best possibilities of digital technologies to the benefit of education is a positive... more Bringing the best possibilities of digital technologies to the benefit of education is a positive trend we observe nowadays. Many continuous formation courses for teachers are offered by numerous schools and educational groups all over the world. In Brazil, we had the opportunity to research the establishment of interpersonal pedagogical relations in one of the most innovative initiatives in this area, and the conclusions we came to were disappointing from the standpoint of those who firmly believe that, digitally-enhanced or not, educational processes are, above everything else, personal, and taking this characteristic away from them leaves little or no significant progresses in building new or remodeling meaningful knowledge.
In the second semester of 2012, a first experiment with concept maps (CMs) as pre-writing and col... more In the second semester of 2012, a first experiment with concept maps (CMs) as pre-writing and collaborative work technology with 130 undergraduate students in Curitiba (Brazil) proved to be a powerful team and argumentative competence-building resource. Constructed over the principles of meaningful learning () and the efficacy of using CMs in collaborative working scenarios (TORRES & KUCHARSKI, 2012), the experiment showed noticeable quality gain in works presented by the study population in three different undergraduate courses, showing an average of 15% higher grades. The research design, application and a first discussion of its results are presented in this paper.
Since its re-democratization in 1989, Brazil has experienced numerous changes to its educational ... more Since its re-democratization in 1989, Brazil has experienced numerous changes to its educational system: from school infrastructure to teacher training and career plans, from curricular modifications and student retaining programs to new assessment methods. In spite of it all, what we have harvested are shaming low results both in national (SANTANA, 2014) and international assessments (PISA, 2012), leaving us way behind other countries whose economies are similar or less complex than our own – fueling the emigration of many of our most brilliant minds to more developed centers. In looking back carefully, it is possible to grasp some repetitive mistakes that have consistently contributed to our state of things, mistakes we will present and discuss in this chapter, especially as we list the ten principles needed to fight them. Since early 2013, conversations have begun among various intellectuals in Southern Brazil toward the creation of an educational movement based on the belief that what education really needs is to set a certain number of principles over which to think and base all new developments that aim at a better, more effective educational formation of the citizen (and the professional, and the politically-conscious person). The shared views among its participants, which are currently been titled Education By Principles, are what the proposed oral presentation and chapter mean to disclose, establishing a wider ring of collaboration from trading experiences with as many colleagues are interested in similar propositions.
(Teaching how to teach / Or: my stamp album of giants) Guiding PowerPoint slides from a talk I d... more (Teaching how to teach / Or: my stamp album of giants)
Guiding PowerPoint slides from a talk I delivered during the VI Academic Week of Physics at the Federal University of Technology - Paraná. In it, from a collection of phrases from great teachers who have made a difference in my formation, I sketch a desirable professional profile for teachers in initial training.
Guia de palestra que proferi durante a VI Semana Acadêmica de Física da UTFPR, em 1º de dezembro de 2016. Nela, a partir de frases coletadas de grandes professores que marcaram minha formação, traço um perfil das características essenciais de um egresso de Licenciatura.
Muitas são as concepções equivocadas que cercam o fenômeno da leitura em nossa época. Por desconh... more Muitas são as concepções equivocadas que cercam o fenômeno da leitura em nossa época. Por desconhecermos seu atual alcance, muitas vezes propomos " tratamentos " visando a uma " cura " que, talvez, sequer seja necessária – porque talvez a " doença " sequer exista. Dentre os equívocos mais comumente repetidos no ambiente escolar (infelizmente pelos professores e administradores do espaço privilegiado), estão os que dão conta de que: 1. hoje não se lê mais tanto quanto antigamente; 2. os livros perderam o encanto para as novas gerações; 3. hoje não se lê mais " boa literatura ". Para que este artigo atinja seu objetivo, é preciso que contra-argumentemos devidamente a cada uma dessas afirmações. Depois, é preciso que se dê conta de traçar um panorama mais esclarecedor sobre o que acontece com leituras e leitores neste início do século XXI.
More than forming technically competent professionals, universities face a new challenge: doing s... more More than forming technically competent professionals, universities face a new challenge: doing so under specific principles that can only be achieved by developing competencies and abilities that are extremely valuable for today's work market, such as being able to work in groups, being aware of the many possibilities of facing and solving problems, being open to constant negotiations and readily-adaptable to new work scenarios. The best way to develop such abilities and competencies is in the contexts in which they will be demanded. The incorporation of building concept maps to a teaching-learning methodology developed for a virtual learning environment of a respected Brazilian University was a successful experiment, one whose positive results in encouraging and developing such competencies and abilities deserves to be presented and discussed, which is what we intend to do in this chapter.
The act of doing research, reviewing recent literature, checking data, and articulating results a... more The act of doing research, reviewing recent literature, checking data, and articulating results and meanings are important but not enough when working with scientific publications in graduate schools. A vital part of the work is authoring an informative text that can be clear enough as to communicate findings of the study and, at the same time, reinforce chosen arguments. This chapter focuses on an experiment at a renowned Brazilian graduate school of education, which uses concept mapping and collective assessment of such maps as fundamental pre-writing stages to guide the authorship of well-thought, well-knit scientific/argumentative texts. Results indicate that the experiment was successful in making students negotiate meanings, clarify ideas and purposes, and write in an academically acceptable style. All this was conducted from a methodological standpoint that makes meaningful knowledge, collective construction, and the reflective, critical work of the author (from the first draft to the final collectively written version given), the foundations to perform a better job at communicating the processes and results of the investigative work.
The continuous growth of distance education (DE) programs in all levels, powered by the developme... more The continuous growth of distance education (DE) programs in all levels, powered by the development of new information and communication technologies (ICT), brings new challenges: how can educational
research be made in non-presential, asynchronous settings? How can we scientifically approach student bodies formed by people who rarely even share the same hometown and only meet online in virtual learning
environments (VLE)? How can we “observe” such groups’ interpersonal, pedagogical relations and their impact on learning? In countries like Brazil, where DE programs have grown vertiginously in few years, many researchers have made significant efforts to answer these questions coherently, efforts that demanded that some principles of traditional educational research be rethought with the help of local and international researches. Interesting methodological approaches to DE groups have resulted from these efforts, and we present and discuss one that has been constantly growing: the virtual ethnographic.
Handbook of Research on Practices and Outcomes in Virtual Worlds and Environments, 2012
The continuous growth of distance education (DE) programs in all levels, powered by the developme... more The continuous growth of distance education (DE) programs in all levels, powered by the development of new information and communication technologies (ICT), brings new challenges: how can educational research be made in non-presential, asynchronous settings? How can we scientifically approach student bodies formed by people who rarely even share the same hometown and only meet online in virtual learning environments (VLE)? How can we “observe” such groups’ interpersonal, pedagogical relations and their impact on learning? In countries like Brazil, where DE programs have grown vertiginously in few years, many researchers have made significant efforts to answer these questions coherently, efforts that demanded that some principles of traditional educational research be rethought with the help of local and international researches. Interesting methodological approaches to DE groups have resulted from these efforts, and we present and discuss one that has been constantly growing: the vi...
Cases on Teaching Critical Thinking through Visual Representation Strategies, 2014
Concepts, Methodologies, Tools and Applications, 2012
More than forming technically competent professionals, universities face a new challenge: doing s... more More than forming technically competent professionals, universities face a new challenge: doing so under specific principles that can only be achieved by developing competencies and abilities that are extremely valuable for today's work market, such as being able to work in groups, being aware of the many possibilities of facing and solving problems, being open to constant negotiations and readily-adaptable to new work scenarios. The best way to develop such abilities and competencies is in the contexts in which they will be demanded. The incorporation of building concept maps to a teaching-learning methodology developed for a virtual learning environment of a respected Brazilian University was a successful experiment, one whose positive results in encouraging and developing such competencies and abilities deserves to be presented and discussed, which is what we intend to do in this chapter.