Cooperative and competitive learning as transformative factors of educational processes for extracurricular skill enhancement

The learning process goes beyond the acquisition of curricular cognitive elements to include extracurricular skills. This extended concept has attracted renewed attention through the European Council Recommendation (2018) on skills development for lifelong learning in schools. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has also highlighted the relevance of socio-emotional skills for learning and life chances. The official uptake of extracurricular skills in curricula poses schools and educators the challenge of finding ways to conceptualize, teach, and assess them. To this end, co-operative learning and peer-to-peer education hold a prominent place among educational strategies alternative to conventional teaching practices. Both actively engage students and have a positive impact on achievement in curricular disciplines and on the development of lifelong learning skills and social and emotional competences. The present study presents a case study in which collaborative learning was supported via a digital platform.