COOPERATIVE LEARNING

Cooperative learning is a successful teaching strategy in which small teams, each with students of different levels of ability, use a variety of learning activities to improve their understanding of a subject. Each member of a team is responsible not only for learning what is taught but also for helping teammates learn, thus creating an atmosphere of achievement.

Cooperative learning is a successful teaching strategy in which small teams, each with students of different levels of ability, use a variety of learning activities to improve their understanding of a subject. Each member of a team is responsible not only for learning what is taught but also for helping teammates learn, thus creating an atmosphere of achievement.

STRENGTHS OF COOPERATIVE LEARNING

• Higher achievement
• Increased Retention
• Positive relationships and a wider circle of friends
• Greater intrinsic motivation
• Higher self-esteem
• Greater social support
• More on task behavior
• Better attitudes toward teachers
• Better attitudes toward school

PITFALLS OF COOPERATIVE LEARNING

• Group dynamic delimas
• Uneven work loads and assessments
• Classroom management challenges
• Lots of talking
• Difficult to grade

COOPERATIVE LEARNING

USEFUL TIPS

• The teacher should always remain active within the groups
• Noise Control: Use the talking chips strategy to control noise. Whenever a student needs to speak in the group they must place their chip in the middle of the table.
• Have a signal to get the students attention
• Use a timer for each task
• Answering Questions: Create a policy where if a group member has a question they must ask the group first before asking the teacher.

Common Techniques
Here are six common cooperative learning techniques to try in your classroom......

Jig-Saw: Students are grouped into five or six and each group member is assigned a specific task then must come back to their group and teach them what they learned.

Think-Pair-Share: Each member in a group "thinks" about a question they have from what they just learned, then they "pair-up" with a member in the group to discuss their responses. Finally they "share" what they learned with the rest of the class or group.

Round Robin: Students are placed into a group of four to six people. Then one person is assigned to be the recorder of the group. Next, the group is assigned a question that has multiple answers to it. Each student goes around the table and answers the question while the recorder writes down their answers.

Numbered Heads: Each group member is given a number (1, 2, 3, 4, etc). The teacher then asks the class a question and each group must come together to find an answer. After the time is up the teacher calls a number and only the student with that number may answer the question.

Team-Pair-Solo: Students work together in a group to solve a problem. Next they work with a partner to solve a problem, and finally, they work by themselves to solve a problem. This strategy uses the theory that students can solve more problems with help then they can alone. Students then progress to the point that they can solve the problem on their own only after first being in a team and then paired with a partner.

Three-Step Review: The teacher predetermines groups before a lesson. Then, as the lesson progresses, the teacher stops and gives groups three minutes to review what was taught and ask each other any questions they may have.