Cooperative Project Oriented Learning: an Experience on Early Childhood Education Teacher Degree

In this paper, the experience of using Project Oriented Learning (POL) in University Teaching is analyzed. The use of this methodology has positive aspects in terms of reality adaptation and work mentoring, but has difficulties in clarifying the individual responsibility of each student in the workgroup. To overcome this limitation we have chosen to include cooperative learning dynamics based on the puzzle of Aronson. After some initial considerations on the features, possibilities, and limitations of cooperative learning and PAT, we discuss expertise development, which has been carried out in a group of Early Childhood Education Teacher Degree over a quarter on the first year degree. Goals pursued and axis or issues serving to achieve them are reflected, as well as the stages that organize the students as individuals and workgroups that become "experts" of the addressed issues. The experience valued by students and teachers is also shown. In this evaluation, based on a questionnaire and the teacher's diary, workgroup high assessment, advances in theoretical learning and overcoming the so-called stowaway effect affecting the workgroup, become evident. It is also shown that the main difficulty is the theory-practice relationship.