The contemporary academic notion suggests that professors should not limit themselves to just teaching. Creating a research environment in which students can produce knowledge is desirable. This knowledge should develop along with the growth of the students’ awareness. The aim of this research was to understand the contribution of different organizations of students in the classroom, which were more effective for those purposes above. The participants of the research were 23 groups, totalizing 600 students. The procedures for data collection were group observation and a field diary. The analysis followed a qualitative approach. The results point to the fact that students’ auto-organization in the classroom, joined to the formal organization, make more effective organizers in trying to meet those challenges mentioned above. Yet, there is no clear separation between roles and leaderships in the group organization, since they are all seen, in human interaction, as leaderships.
Learning environment; Small group; Organization; Leadership
