Enhance non-cognitive contexts and build connective contexts to develop collective intelligence in a lower secondary classroom

Abstract

The problems that occur in a school context are complex and almost always involve several parties, so much so that any decision made to solve a critical problem must be adaptive and, at the same time, take into account the different cultures, knowledge and value systems of all parties involved. The solution of a problem and the knowledge that results from it are therefore the result of practical experience and collaboration, of a willingness to reason in a group called collective intelligence (Heylighen 1999), more effective than the reasoning of a single individual (Forsyth, 2006). Collective intelligence develops in connective contexts, where acting subjects have the opportunity to practice skills that promote connection. The development of non-cognitive skills is known to foster collaboration, interaction, and social learning within a group (Heckman, Kautz, 2014). The objective of this article is to understand how collective writing and non-cognitive skills explored can contribute to the development of collective intelligence in a lower secondary classroom.