Cooperative Learning
CL involves
structuring classes around small groups that work together in such a way that
each group member's success is dependent on the group's success. CL isn’t just having students sit
side-by-side at the same table to talk with each other as one student does all
the work and the others put their names on the product as well. Cooperation
involves much more than being physically near other students, discussing material,
helping, or sharing material with other students.
1. Formulating a response to questions asked by the educator
Type
1. Informal Cooperative Learning Group consists of having students work together to achieve a learning goal in temporary. During a lecture, informal cooperative learning can be used to draw student attention on the material through small groups throughout the lesson or by discussion at the end of a lesson, and typically involves groups of two (e.g. turn to your partner discussions). Discussion typically have four components that include:1. Formulating a response to questions asked by the educator
2. Sharing responses to the questions asked with a
partner
3. Listening to a partner’s responses to the same
question
4. Creating a new well-developed answer
The teacher’s role is to
keep students more actively engaged. Informal cooperative learning ensures
students are actively involved in understanding what is being presented. It also provides time for teachers to move
around the class listening to what students are saying. Listening to student discussions can give
instructors direction and insight into how well students understand the
concepts and material being as well as increase the individual accountability
of participating in the discussions.
2. Formal
CLG consists of 2-6 students working together with discussions
lasting for a few minutes up to an entire period to achieve shared learning
goals and complete jointly specific tasks and assignments. Formal cooperative
learning is structured, facilitated, and monitored by the educator over time
and is used to achieve group goals in task work (e.g. completing a unit). Types
of formal cooperative learning strategies include:
- The jigsaw technique
- Assignments that involve group problem solving and
decision making
- Laboratory or experiment assignments
- Peer review work (e.g. editing writing assignments).
- Jigsaw
activities are wonderful because the student assumes the role of the
teacher on
a given topic and is in charge of teaching the topic to a classmate. The idea
is that if students can teach something, they have already learned the
material.
3. Base group learning
(e.g., a long term study group) is effective for learning complex subject
matter over the course or semester and establishes caring, supportive peer
relationships, which in turn motivates and strengthens the student’s commitment
to the group’s education while increasing self-esteem and self-worth. Base
group approaches also make the students accountable to educating their peer
group in the event that a member was absent for a lesson. This is effective
both for individual learning, as well as social support.
Elements
Five key elements differentiate cooperative learning from
simply putting students into groups to learn (Johnson et al., 2006).
1. Positive Interdependence: You'll know when you've succeeded in structuring positive
interdependence when students fully participate and put forth effort within
their group. Each group member has a task/role/responsibility therefore must
believe that they are responsible for their learning and their group as well.
2. Individual Accountability: The essence of individual accountability in cooperative
learning is "students learn together, but perform alone." This
ensures that no one can "hitch-hike" on the work of others. A
lesson's goals must be clear enough that students are able to measure whether
(a) the group is successful in achieving them, and (b) individual members are
successful in achieving them as well.
3. Face-to-Face (Promotive) Interaction: Important cognitive activities and interpersonal dynamics
only occur when students promote each other's learning. This includes oral
explanations of how to solve problems, discussing the nature of the concepts
being learned, and connecting present learning with past knowledge. It is
through face-to-face, promotive interaction that members become personally
committed to each other as well as to their mutual goals.
4. Interpersonal and Small Group Social Skills: students learn academic subject (task work) and also
interpersonal and small group skills (teamwork). Thus, a group must know how to
provide effective leadership, decision-making, trust-building, communication,
and conflict management. Given the complexity of these skills, teachers can
encourage much higher performance by teaching cooperative skill components
within cooperative lessons. As students develop these skills, later group
projects will probably run more smoothly and efficiently than early ones.
5. Group Processing:
After completing their task, students must be given time and procedures for
analyzing how well their learning groups are functioning and how well social
skills are being employed. Group processing involves both taskwork and
teamwork, with an eye to improving it on the next project.
Why
Research has shown that students who work in cooperative groups do better on tests, especially with regard to reasoning and critical thinking skills, are more like to make friends in class, have more self-esteem, and like the subject and college better than those that do not (Johnson and Johnson, 1989 ). Students who are learning cooperatively are more active participants in the learning process (Lord, 2001). Also, they care about the class and the material and they are more personally engaged.Techniques
- STAD (Student Teams Achievement Division): consists of heterogeneous group of 4 students working
together on a given topic and complete a work product (e.g., a worksheet of
answer or problem solutions); Then students take individual quizzes. Quiz
scores are compared to the past performance. Team scores are computed on the
team member’s scores. The instructor shows the high-score team on a bulletin
board, a class newsletter, etc.
- TGT (Teams Games Tournaments): similar to STAD, but the quiz is replaced with academic
games tournament. Students compete with players who are in the same levels from
other team to earn points. Then each team sum up the points from their team
members to be one single team score.
- Numbered head together:
Students are placed in groups and each person is given a number. The teacher
poses a question and students "put their heads together" to figure
out the answer. The teacher calls a specific number to respond as spokesperson
for the group. By having students work together in a group, this strategy
ensures that each member knows the answer to problems or questions asked by the
teacher. Because no one knows which number will be called, all team members
must be prepared.
- Jigsaw I: Students
are members of two groups: home group and expert group. In the heterogeneous
home group, students are each assigned a different topic. Once a topic has been
identified, students leave the home group and group with the other students
with their assigned topic. In the new group, students learn the material
together before returning to their home group. Once back in their home group,
each student teaches his or her assigned topic
- Jigsaw II: Robert
Slavin's (1980) variation of Jigsaw in which members of the home group are
assigned the same material, but focus on separate portions of the material.
Each member must become an "expert" on his or her assigned portion
and teach the other members of the home group.
- Reverse Jigsaw:
created by Timothy Hedeen. It differs from the original
Jigsaw during the
teaching portion of the activity. In the Reverse Jigsaw technique, students in
the expert groups teach the whole class rather than return to their home groups
to teach the content.
- Think Pair Share:
originally developed by Frank T. Lyman (1981). It allows students to
contemplate a posed question or problem silently. The student may write down
thoughts or simply just brainstorm in his or her head. When prompted, the
student pairs up with a peer and discusses his or her ideas and then listens to
the ideas of his or her partner. Following pair dialogue, the teacher solicits
responses from the whole group.
- Group investigation: developed
by Shlomo and Yael Sharan. Students form 2 – 6 members groups. Then choose
subtopic from a unit being studied by entire class. Team members gather
information, review, analyze and reach to conclusions. Then each team presents
its finding to the whole class. It can be role play, panels, simulations, etc
instead of lecturing or telling.
- CIRC (Cooperated Integrated Reading Composition)
- Learning Together: developed by David and Roger
Johnson. Students work
on assignment sheets in 4 – 5 members’ heterogeneous
groups. The groups hand in a single sheet product and receive praise and
rewards. This emphasizes team-bulding activities before students begin working
together and regular discussions within groups about how well they are working
together
