Cooperative Learning
Cooperative Learning is a concept best described as "group work"! But, how teachers structure student-to-student interaction patterns has a lot to say about how well students learn, how they feel about school and the teacher, how they feel about each other, and how much self-esteem they have (Johnson). At its best, cooperative learning is carefully planned and organized around these principles:1. A group of students is charged with positive interdependence -- a sense of sink or swim together! Tasks are clearly defined, expectations are clear, and time limits and check points are set. Groups are held responsible for accomplishing the task. Self-evaluation, peer evaluation, and teacher evaluation ensure that the work is valued.
Teachers use language such as:
"Your group must answer the question and provide 5 clear supporting details for..."
"You have five more minutes to finish the definition of... and then you must move on to..."
"At this point, you should be..."
2. Each individual student has accountability -- each of us has to contribute and learn!
Teachers:
Keep groups small, give groups independent tasks, and give each member of the group a task -- leader (keeps group focused on the task), facilitator (ensures each person is heard), recorder (creates the chart or notes), time keeper (watches the clock)
Closely observe groups and randomly call on individuals within the group for updates
Provide opportunity for groups to report out to another group or to the whole class
See to it that students are given an opportunity to evaluate both their own and their team members roles in the group. (Consider simple questions such as these, which can be answered on a scale: I listened carefully to others today. I encouraged my team to think of new ideas. I was positive, not critical. The team should answer: What are the key ideas we learned today? We listened carefully to others. We disagreed nicely. What social skills did we do well on today? Which skills do we need to improve? If some students come to the group process unprepared, i.e. without having done an assigned reading, group members should have an opportunity to say so.)
3. Both teachers and groups focus on individuals' interpersonal skills (communication, trust, leadership, decision making, and conflict resolution), face-to-face interactions (within the groups), and group processing (reflecting on how well the team is functioning and how to function even better).
Teachers:
Plan groups carefully and provide multiple opportunities for the same groups to meet
Pay attention to and reward positive attributes and discourage negative attributes of group behavior -- "Groups will be given 2 bonus points for each member of the group who..."
What is Jig-Saw
Cooperative Mastery?
1) The teacher divides the task or a portion of
the material to be learned into several small parts or topics, one per
each "Home
Group" member
2) In the "Home Groups": Each group member is given one task or one topic on
which to become an expert.
3) In the "Expert Groups": Students with the same tasks or topics meet in "Expert
Groups" to discuss the topics, master them, and plan how to teach them.
4) Back in the "Home Groups": Students return to their original groups and
each one teaches
what he or she has learned to the other group members
What is Cooperative
Brainstorming?
1. The teacher divides the group members into roles:
leader, facilitator, time keeper,
recorder
2. Since a new concept is about to be introduced, the teacher
sets the stage for the new concept by developing an incomplete web of the new
information.
3. Students meet
in
their groups to brainstorm, using questions such as these as starters:
What
is
this
topic all about? Why would I wish to learn it? How would it be interesting
or useful for me? What do I know about this already?
4.Each team adds new information to the web, rotating around the room
so that all teams participate. Thus, results
of
the
brainstorming session
are shared with the entire class and the class web is expanded.
What is Cooperative Review?
1. The teacher assigns roles and provides
index cards
2. After
completing
a unit, each team is given 5 - 6 index
cards. As a group, they must come up with questions or problems and provide
answers about the
unit or chapter.
3. The questions will be used
the next day -- whole class oral review, group-to-group review, in a game of
jeopardy; some questions might even appear on the test. Groups will gain points
for especially effective questions and lose points for questions
written with incorrect answers.
Cooperative Learning Lesson Ideas:
Grades K - 3
1. A to Z teacher stuff -- sample lessons based on cooperative learning
Grades 4 - 6
1. A to Z teacher stuff -- sample lessons based on cooperative learning
Grades 7 & 8
1. A to Z teacher stuff -- sample lessons based on cooperative learning
Grades 9 -12
1. A to Z teacher stuff -- sample lessons based on cooperative learning
All Grades
1. 21st Century School -- Lesson Plans for Software Integration, Multiple Intelligences, and Cooperative Learning -- by subject/content area