APPLICATION OF COLLABORATIVE LEARNING IN CHEMISTRY LABORATORIES

Collaborative learning (CL) is a different concept in the teaching and learning process. It is based on the interaction between various students that, in groups of 3 to 6, cooperate in the learning process of different and varied issues. This kind of learning has the support from the teacher, who leads and supervises the process. Therefore, it is neither a non-competitive nor an individualistic learning concept as the traditional method is, but a collaborative mechanism that aims to develop teamwork habits, solidarity between partners, and independent student participation in their own learning process.
This work shows some experiences of CL applied to the Chemical Laboratory IV course, which is taught in the third year of the Chemistry Degree in the University Jaume I. The CL has been carried out with the students working in pairs. They assume the role of the teachers and explain the experiences that are going to be undertaken. The purpose is that they indicate the weaknesses of the laboratory practices, emphasizing the truly important practical steps to be taken into account in their implementation. The whole process of CL has been always supervised by the corresponding teachers.