Cooperative learning is defined as students working together to "attain group goals that cannot be obtained by working alone or competitively" (Johnson, Johnson, & Holubec, 1986). “The main purpose of cooperative learning is to actively involve students in the learning process; a level of student empowerment which is not possible in a lecture format. It is a process which requires knowledge to be discovered by students and transformed into concepts to which the students can relate. The knowledge is then reconstructed and expanded through new learning experiences. Learning takes place through dialog among students in a social setting” (Palmer, Peters, & Streetman, 2003). The resources from this week have explained many strategies and techniques to facilitate cooperative learning and to make it meaningful.
Palmer, Peters, & Streetman (2003) have offered many strategies to create groups to work in a cooperative environment. A few ideas were; pair-share, jigsaw, random groups of three, diversity groups, etc. These ideas for grouping serve multiple benefits. Some benefits are; increased engagement time, students receive a variety of feedback from peers, and also gain different perspectives from one another.
Palmer and associates also offer up these helpful hints when creating cooperative learning lessons.
Helpful Hints for Cooperative Learning Lessons
1. Begin trying cooperative learning with a homework assignment. Students could check their homework in groups, going over each problem and clarifying if there were any questions. The groups could then work each problem on the board.
2. When beginning to use cooperative learning, start each class with a short lecture and then transition to a CL activity. As the instructor and students gain experience with using CL, begin the class with a CL activity and then conclude with a short lecture to highlight important points.
3. Begin implementation by only using pairs for CL groups. Students who are inexperienced in using CL groups will be more likely to participate with just one other person in the group. Having only two students in a group is also an ideal way to teach key group work skills.
4. When beginning CL implementation, only use the technique in one class period. Once you and the students have become more adept at using CL, you can increase it to involve more students/classes.
5. Begin with worksheets as a form of group accountability. Students who are inexperienced with CL often have a difficult time getting started or reaching their goals.
6. Having a worksheet to guide them will help the groups set their priorities, work towards their goal, and produce the assessment task.
Reference
Palmer, G., Peters, R., & Streetman, R. (2003). Cooperative learning. In M. Orey (Ed.), Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and technology. Retrieved June 4, 2010, from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt
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Cooperative learning really does benefit students in the way in which it involves students in the learning process. Students prefer to have a short lecture and then convene into cooperative groups because they are more engaged in peer discussions and feedback. The cooperative pair-share and jigsaw activities are two which correlate with with social learning theories. I feel that these activities need to be modeled and practiced in September in order for students to understand their value and benefit from being actively involved in the learning process.
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