Turning The Preparation For A University Test Into A Chance To Reflect On Mathematics Learning

In a research conducted within the Italian National project “Scientific degrees”, we attempt to deal with the challenge of transforming the preparation for a university entrance test into an opportunity to learn and reflect on mathematics learning, rather than obsessing students with performance. More specifically, in a series of five lessons, the students engage in tasks by taking on roles that are the cognitive functions that come into play when tackling a math problem. The students work in groups and the roles/cognitive functions are gradually internalized through reflection questions asked at the end of tasks. The results show that the students still focus on performance, but a number of them shift their attention to other dimensions, even considering how they constructed the answer together with their mates.