The collaborative methods of teaching involve the development of group work during the lectures. The present work describes the result of the introduction of this methodology in the teaching of programming during the first year of engineering studies. The findings indicate that students with collaborative learning perform better in activities directly related to the computer (laboratories) or group work. The performance gap in exams was reduced as the semester progressed, that is, initially activities on paper were less effective with collaborative learning. The motivation of the students is also significantly lower in the students with traditional teaching style.