Abstract:

Collaborative learning and cooperative learning are two approaches to group learning that involve active participation and interaction among group members. Although these two approaches share some similarities, there are some key differences between them. In collaborative learning, each person is responsible for his/her own learning, but also contributes to the group's achievements. On the other hand, in cooperative learning, the group members have different roles and responsibilities, and each person is accountable for their specific contribution to the group's success. Both approaches can be effective in promoting active learning and engaging learners in group work. The boundary between the two concepts is indeed very thin. In the research described in this article, a blend of both approaches was used, in part dictated by the students' attitudes towards the requested work at each moment. It is important to be aware of the difficulties experienced by students entering university after spending almost three years of high school with a pandemic-influenced education. We can notice that high school students have not acquired certain skills during this period, such as interpersonal skills, time management skills, problem solving and critical thinking skills, adaptability to different learning styles and schedules, and technology skills.

This experiment was implemented in a Portuguese university with 48 first year students of a mathematics course. We have used essentially a collaborative learning approach, with several kinds of group works, applied to different group sizes and adapted to each topic studied throughout the course, including peer assessment processes. To improve mathematical knowledge and technology skills, students were encouraged to use computational tools for studying and investigating in mathematics.

In this article, we describe the used methodology and present results of the assessment of skills, students’ attitudes, and knowledge, as a qualitative study. Compared to other analogous courses, the results of skills and knowledge assessment were better. On the other hand, compared to the previous edition of the same course, the results were not so positive, reflecting the situation of learning and teaching in the recent pandemic-influenced education. There were applied a questionnaire and interviews at the end of the semester to collect data about student’s evaluation of the course and methodology. Results showed that this methodology improves motivation and students' working skills, engaging them in individual and collaborative learning of mathematical topics that are the core of the course. Moreover, we noticed a progress on both students’ scientific writing skills and learning trajectories.

Keywords:

Active learning, technology, research projects, collaborative learning, mathematics.