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Ana Maria Boavida, João Pedro da Ponte

This paper present collaboration as a fundamental organizational context to investigate our own professional practice. It analyses its possible advantages: making several people working closely together raises the energy level, reinforcing the determination for action, collects more resources and competencies to carry out the tasks and create synergies that allow a deeper reflection and analysis of problems. The paper discusses forms and participants in the collaboration and distinguishes between collaboration and cooperation. It considers the development of collaborative research, presenting as key ideas trust, dialogue and negotiation. Finally, it discusses the problems and difficulties of collaborative research, notably in the professional field of teaching, pointing the need of knowing how to deal with unforeseen events, different perspectives and styles of work, cost and benefits and the need of being attentive regarding self indulgence and conformism.