Minds at play: Epistemological-cognitive role-based learning as a playful environment for mathematical reasoning and identity growth

This paper presents a role-based cooperative learning experience designed for university students enrolled in a Topology course. Drawing on the Mathematical Working Space framework, and on game-design principles, five cognitive-epistemological roles were introduced within groups in a genuinely playful mechanism: Instrumental Mind, Semiotic Mind, Discursive Mind, Embodied Mind and Debating Reviewer. We investigate how students perceive these roles, whether they develop awareness of their complementarity, and how the collective identity that emerges from sustained group work shapes students’ individual identity. Qualitative analysis reveals that students recognise the value and interdependence of the roles, can identify analogous cognitive strategies in individual problem-solving, and show emerging signs of personal identities rooted in collective experience.