COLLABORATIVE LEARNING IN LIGHT OF VYGOTSKY`S SOCIOCULTURAL THEORY: FROM COGNITION TO SCHOOL ASSESSMENT

Abstract

This article explores the foundations of Vygotsky’s Historical-Cultural Theory in conjunction with collaborative learning, examining the trajectory from the formation of higher psychological functions to school assessment. Based on the premise that human development is constituted through social relations mediated by culture and language, learning is understood as an inherently social process. The study then discusses the Zone of Proximal Development as a dynamic space of mediation between teachers and students, highlighting collaboration as a formative principle in both initial and continuing teacher education. Finally, the discussion extends to the realm of school assessment, linking the Vygotskyan perspective with Theodor Ludwig Wiesengrund Adorno’s critique regarding the risks of barbarism in educational institutions. This approach advocates for a conception of assessment that is mediational, dialogic, and committed to the students' concrete living conditions-particularly in contexts of social vulnerability such as those found in the state of Tocantins.