A literatura científica tem revelado que as abordagens pedagógicas participativas que garantem os direitos da criança, reconhecem a sua competência e escutam a sua voz têm maior impacto na aprendizagem e na sua vida futura (Eurydice, 2009; OCDE, 2012; Oliveira-Formosinho, 2009; Siraj-Blatchford, Sylva, Muttock, Gilden y Bell, 2002). A este propósito, o relatório Starting Strong III (OCDE, 2012) realça que as crianças aprendem melhor: i) em abordagens pedagógicas integradoras, onde as aprendizagens cognitivas e sociais são entendidas como complementares e igualmente importantes; ii) quando estão ativas e envolvidas; iii) quando as interações são frequentes e significativas; iv) quando o currículo se baseia nas aprendizagens anteriores. A complexidade dos processos de participação reclama uma visão holística da práxis. As preocupações com a operacionalização de uma práxis participativa, levaram-nos a dialogar com as propostas Bruner (1966, 1984a; 1991a; 1991b; 1997; 1998; 2000; 2004; 2010; Bruner y Postman, 1949; Wood, Bruner, y Ross, 1976) cujos princípios oferecem importantes contributos para a pedagogia da infância. A linha pedagógica participativa faz emergir a visão integradora da práxis pedagógica, invocando a complexidade dos contextos, onde as crenças, os saberes, a teoria e a prática se realizam em combinações múltiplas. Este modo de fazer pedagogia valoriza a atividade e a competência da criança, centrando os objetivos no envolvimento que decorre das experiências significativas. A pedagogia cultural de Bruner constitui-se como um importante referencial para a implementação de uma praxis participativa em contexto escolar. Com este estudo pretendemos fazer a leitura das conceções de Bruner, tendo em conta as implicações da sua teorização nas dimensões da pedagogia da infância enunciadas por Oliveira-Formosinho (2007), espaço e materiais, tempo, interações, observação, planificação e avaliação.

The pedagogical conceptualization of Bruner (2000) emphasizes the idea that children's development should take place in an enabling environment where both the agency and the self initiated work are promoted. For Bruner (2000), self initiation means to allow children to control what they want to do. It means that school should promote an enabling culture that encourages them to participate in their learning process, to be proactive, to learn in community and collaboratively, creating social or natural meanings about the world.

The current article makes an articulation between recent findings from neurophysiology such as the mirror neurons and neural plasticity, and others which were originated in psychology in order to achieve a better understanding of human social learning. Several of those recent findings provide support for concepts of psychology such as the relevance of inter-subjectivity, language and culture to psychological development, regarding not only individuals but also the human specie. More specifically, they evidence the role of direct and implicit understanding of others' actions, emotions and feelings in order to understand the development of social relationships. In this sense, relations are drawn between biological and cultural aspects. Gallese and Bruner are the authors taken as references for this reflection.

Knowing the importance of language development for the individual’s global development and, that academics such as Jerome Bruner and Burrhus Frederic Skinner brought relevant contributions to the language study, the article’s objective is to contribute for the comprehension of their works regarding language development, presenting possible convergence and divergence points. Bruner’s and Skinner’s classical works about language development are analyzed, as well as some articles that discuss important points of the subject. Divergence points are found in Bruner’s and Skinner’s theories, such as the difference in the terms used by these authors to refer to what is commonly called language, as well as the fact that systematic observation data are used by Bruner in his classical work about language, characteristic not found in Skinner’s classical book about verbal behavior. However, convergence points are noticed in the works of these authors, like the language pragmatist aspect indicated by both, as well as adult’s and culture’s importance for the child to develop language.

It is 1985 and Italo Calvino is committed to writing lectures to be held at Harvard University. It is a cycle of six conferences, the Charles Eliot Norton Poetry Lectures, in which the Italian author would have had to deal with topics related to poetic communication. It is 2001 and Jerome Bruner is invited to hold the first "Italian" lessons of the new millennium at the University of Bologna. Bruner chooses to discuss literature, law and life. The lessons of the first summarize the fundamental nuclei of Calvino's thought; the second orient Bruner's psychological and educational research. In this article, a comparative reading of two texts has been attempted: Italo Calvino's Lezioni Americane (1993) and Bruner's La Fabbrica delle Storie (2002), tracing surprising complementary images that offer valuable insights to understand the importance of narrative in the construction of individual and collective identity.

Knowing the importance of language development for the individual’s global development and, that academics such as Jerome Bruner and Burrhus Frederic Skinner brought relevant contributions to the language study, the article’s objective is to contribute for the comprehension of their works regarding language development, presenting possible convergence and divergence points. Bruner’s and Skinner’s classical works about language development are analyzed, as well as some articles that discuss important points of the subject. Divergence points are found in Bruner’s and Skinner’s theories, such as the difference in the terms used by these authors to refer to what is commonly called language, as well as the fact that systematic observation data are used by Bruner in his classical work about language, characteristic not found in Skinner’s classical book about verbal behavior. However, convergence points are noticed in the works of these authors, like the language pragmatist aspect indicated by both, as well as adult’s and culture’s importance for the child to develop language.

Bruner's theoretical framework is based on the idea that learners construct new ideas or concepts based upon existing knowledge and they are active learners. He introduced the ideas of readiness for learning and spiral curriculum and believed that any subject can be taught at any stage of development in a way that fit the child's cognitive abilities (Bruner, 1977). He also advocates the use of discovery learning based on problem solving and exploration of alternatives. Teachers should then provide problematic situations to students and encourage them to understand several aspects.