Cooperative Learning on a trip through Europe: A successful educational experience in the 1st Cycle of Basic Education

Abstract

Cooperative Learning is an active methodology, characterized by the use of small heterogeneous groups, which places students at the center of the teaching-learning-evaluation trilogy, promoting the development of both academic and social skills. This article aims to articulate the theoretical and practical dimensions of this methodology, based on the description, analysis and reflection of the implementation of a Learning Unit entitled “A Journey of Knowledge through Europe”, where Cooperative Learning methods were mobilized in a 3rd grade class within the 1st Cycle of Basic Education. The educational practice in a specialised internship context, based on the use of this active methodology, enabled the children to experience processes of cooperation, negotiation and experimentation, which contributed to the construction of meaningful learning and their integral development, while also favouring the personal and professional development of both the trainee and the cooperating supervisor.