The collaboration of mathematically gifted students on challenging tasks

Abstract

This study explored the collaboration of mathematically gifted children aged 11-12 years in solving complex novel problems by examining the student’s preferences for collaboration in relation to the difficulty of the task being undertaken. Using a qualitative methodology we show that there is a relationship between the complexity of the task and the extent and type of collaborative interactions in which students engaged. Collaboration was preferred only when the task was sufficiently challenging. However, in the context where collaboration was encouraged and students took advantage of working with peers, there was the development of mutual scaffolding, shared cognition, critical thinking, and the ability to discern and monitor goal states for the problems. The implications of this study for the education of mathematically gifted students are discussed.