A Web Environment to Improve Connections between Mathematics and Statistics Learning

The paper describes a project involving cooperative learning of statistical topics implemented in a web environment. The project is the result of a fruitful partnership between the Faculty of Statistics of the University of Bologna and the Institute of Educational Research of the Emilia Romagna Region. The synergy between mathematics and statistics offers a concrete example of theoretical method application in order to investigate the real world. The positive effects of cooperative learning can be broadened to a larger learning-teaching community. It makes it possible to create a virtual place where it is possible to realize a cooperative learning milieu. This methodology is particularly useful for statistics, given both the specificity of the discipline and the fact that teaching of the subject often represents a novelty for mathematics teachers. Problems connected with real life are presented on the web and project participants may communicate through the network.