Given the need to (re)think teaching practices regarding assessment and methodologies in higher education, particularly in teacher education, a pedagogical experience was designed and implemented in the Didactics of Portuguese curricular unit within a Master’s program in Education in Portugal. This initiative aimed to explore participatory and student-centered approaches, with the goal of enhancing future teachers' motivation and autonomy.

Based on these premises, the following research question was defined: How do negotiated assessment and a methodology based on learning areas influence the learning process of students in teacher education? Accordingly, two main objectives were established:
(i) to identify the challenges and benefits arising from the use of negotiated assessment; and
(ii) to analyze the outcomes of implementing structured learning areas.

The study adopted a qualitative and exploratory research methodology, justified by the open and flexible nature of the research question. The aim was to identify patterns and evidence-based relationships that could inform broader studies and support the implementation of active, innovative, and student-driven teaching practices.
The intervention was carried out over one semester with a class of 25 Master’s students in teacher education.

Two fundamental changes were introduced:
(a) assessment was negotiated with students in the first session, allowing them to choose the formats, tools, and timing of their assessments; and
(b) course content was organized into distinct learning areas - oral comprehension and expression, reading, writing, grammar, and literary education - introduced in the second session.

Assessment was continuous and project-based, with each group of students developing their projects throughout the semester, supported by regular and formative teacher feedback. Each learning area included a didactic pack comprising an instructional guide, curated examples (e.g., student texts, video tutorials, digital tools), bibliographic resources, and self-regulation tools (e.g., checklists and reflective questionnaires). All materials were available on the Moodle platform, enabling students to choose both the area and how to engage with it in each class.

Data collection combined direct and participant observation, analysis of students’ projects, and reflective writing assignments completed at the end of the semester.

The findings suggest that negotiated and continuous assessment, combined with flexible content pathways (learning areas), fostered more meaningful learning experiences. Students reported feeling more motivated, confident, and autonomous, both in classroom activities and assessment tasks. The opportunity to make choices, paired with consistent feedback, enhanced their sense of responsibility and ownership. Increased peer collaboration was also observed, contributing to a supportive environment for the co-construction of pedagogical knowledge. This experience highlights the potential of negotiated assessment and structured learning areas as valuable strategies for influence the learning process of students in teacher education fostering autonomy, engagement, and reflection in teacher education.

Keywords: Learning areas, continuous assessment, pedagogical experience, language teacher education.