Cooperative LearningCooperative Learning

*the instructional use of small groups so that the students work together to maximize their own and each other’s learning(Smith, 1996)*helps clarify ideas and concepts through discussion

Develops critical thinking

Provides opportunities for learners to share information and share ideas

Provides where a context where the learners can take control of their own learning in a social contactProvides validation of individuals’ ideas and ways of thinking through conversation(verbalizing);multiple perspectives(cognitive restructuring);and argument(conceptual conflict resolution). (Mc Connell, 1994)

Develops communication skills

NECESSARY Conditions for Successful Cooperative Learning

need to feel safe, but also need to feel challenged.

Groups need to be small enough that everyone can contribute.

The work must be clearly defined.

Cooperative LearningCooperative LearningGoals/Purpose -knowledge transmission: work together in harmony and mutual support to find the solution

Level – appropriate for children

Approach – Teacher centered

Motivation – extrinsic

Structure – structured

Cooperative Learning Philosophical Framework

-Constructive process.(Millis, B.J. and Cotell P.G. Jr. (1986)

-A belief in the potential for academic success of all students;-A view of learning as a

social process; and

Cooperative Learning Philosophic

al Framework

-Respect for students of all backgrounds,

Cooperative LearningCooperative Learning

Students work and learn together in small(2-5 members) groups.

Their task is carefully designed to be suitable for group work.

There is positive interdependence – cooperation is necessary for students to succeed.

The role of the teacher changes from being the “sage on the stage” to “the guide on the side.”

Students are individually accountable for learning and participation.Attention and class time are given to interpersonal/cooperative skill building.

Kagan’s(1994) approach to cooperative learning is based around a series of structures which place an emphasis on four key principles, known as PIES:

PIESPIES

imultaneous Interaction

Positive Interdependence

ndividual AccountabilityIEqual Participation

SS

Students are organized in heterogeneous teams of four and the teams are changed at regular intervals. Emphasis is placed on the social skills of team building and class-building and this helps to establish a climate for learning in the classroom. The structures lend accountability to group work, preventing students either dominating or opting out.

Informal- temporary groups that last for only one discussion or one class period.

Types of Learning Groups (Johnson, et al, 1991)

Formal –groups last from one class period to several weeks, whatever it takes to complete a specific task or assignment.

 Positive Interdependence- students are motivated to help one another accomplish group goals.

Essential Elements for Successful Cooperative

Learning Groups

Promotive Interaction- members share resources and support and encourage each other’s efforts to learn.

Interpersonal and small –group skills required to function as part of a group(teamwork).

Individual and Group Accountability – each member is accountable for contributing his/her share of the work; students are assessed individually.

Development of Teamwork Skills -students are required to learn academic subject matter (task work) and also to learn the

Group Processing – students should learn to evaluate their group productivity.

Benefits of

Cooperative Learning

• Promotes critical thinking skills

• Involves students actively in the thinking process

• Classroom results are improved

• Models appropriate student-problem solving techniques

• Large lectures can be personalized

• Helps motivate students in specific curriculum

Academic Benefits

• Develops a social support system for students

• Builds diversity understanding among students

• Establishes a positive atmosphere for modeling and practicing cooperation

• Develops learning communities

Social Benefits

Psychological Benefits

• Students centered instruction increases students’ self-esteem

• Cooperation reduces anxiety

• Develops positive attitudes towards teacher

Disadvantages

• Dependent on the success of the group process

• Difficult to assess individual learning outcomes

• May not suit learning styles

• Teachers may be unsure of their role

Issues to Address

• Identify clear questions at the outset and show how these questions relate to students’ interests and abilities and the teaching goals;

• Resolve small-group conflicts as soon as they arise and show students how to prevent trouble in future;

• Create rubrics at the beginning of any assignment and use this for guiding the learning process and for assessing final work;

• Helps students reflect on their progress on a regular basis;

• Expect excellence from all students and let them know that you believe in them and their ability to produce excellent work.

TroubleshootingProblem Solution

• Students are not all involved or on task

• Groups are too noisy

• Members act out

Assign specific tasks to students

Have students more closer together

Use motivation tactics to hold each person responsible for his action

Problem Solution• Work is slow and

incompletework with students to set specific goals each day; have students create a timeline for their project and stick to it.

Prepared by:

Appendix

Barkley, E.F., Cross, P.K., and Major, C.H. (2005). Collaborative learning techniques: a handbook for college faculty. Jossey-Bass. A Wiley Imprint: San Francisco. CA

Bruffee, K. (1995) Sharing our toys – Cooperative learning versus collaborative learning. Change. Jan/Feb. 1995

Johnson, D.W., Johnson, R.T., and Holubec, E.J. (1191). Cooperation in the classroom. Interaction Book Co.: Edina, MN

Millis, Barbara J. (2007) Cooperative learning structures. Retrieved July 28, 2007 from The University of Texas at Austin: http://www.utexas.edu/academic/diia/research/projects/ hewlett/cooperative.php

Panitz, T. (1991). A definition of collaborative versus cooperative learning: a comparison of the two concepts which will help us understand the underlying nature of interactive learning. Retrieved June 28, 2007 from http://www.city.londonmet.ac.uk/deliberations. collab.learning/panitz2.html

Assessment for learning and cooperative learning strategies. Retrieved July 28, 2007 from Learning and Teaching Update, Feb. 2007: http://www.teachingexpertise.com/articles/implementing-learning-innovations-1625

Collaborative and cooperative learning. Retrieved June 28, 2007 from Center for Staff Development: http://www.csd.uwa.edu.au/altmodes

Cooperative and collaborative learning. Retrieved June 28, 2007 from Study Guides and Strategies: http:// www. studygs.net/ cooplearn.htm

Cooperative learning: students working in small groups. (1999). Retrieved June 28, 2007 from Speaking of teaching, Stanford University Newsletter on Teaching: http:///www.stanford

 Beginner

1 Intermediate

2 Advanced

3 Expert

4

Fulfill TeamRole

Does not performany of assigned team duties.

Performs littleduties.

Performs nearly all duties.

Perform all ofassigned teamduties.

ShareInformation

Does not relay anyinformation to teammates.

Relays verylittle information-some relates to the topic.

Relays someBasicInformation-most relates tothe topic.

Relays a great deal of Information-all relates to the topic.

Listen toOtherTeammates

Is always talking-never allows anyone else to speak.

Usually doing most of the talking-rarely allowsothers to speak.

Listens but sometimes talks too much.

Listens and speaks a fair amount.

CooperateWithTeammates

Usually argues with teammates.

Sometimes argues.

Rarely argues. Never argues.

Basic Advanced- Three – Step Interview - Value Line- Round Table - Jigsaw- Structured Problem Solving - Within-Team Jigsaw- Think-Pair-Share - Responsive Written

Exchanges- Visible Quiz - Paired Annotations- Stand Up and Share - Send / Pass a Problem- Three-Stay, One-Stray - Dyadic Essay

Confrontation- Gallery Walk - Reciprocal Peer Questioning

Timed-Pair ShareCornerTeam Statements; Blackboard ShareDraw a GambitParaphrase Passport; Rally Robin

helps students reinforce and internalize important concept-related information based on lectures or textbook material.

Some faculty have used it successfully as a modified role-playing activity, having students interview one another while assuming the roles of historical characters

The interview questions, focused on content material and having no right or wrong solutions, are usually posed by the instructor, as in the Think-Pair Share examples.

In a Three-Step Interview, one student interviews another within specified time limits (Step one).

The two then reverse roles and conduct the interview again (Step two).

In a learning team composed of two pairs, the students then share the highlights of the information or insights gleaned from the paired interview (Step three).

This structure also results in the formation of new learning quads which may then move on to other team-related activities.

An extra question can be added for pairs working more rapidly than others, an "extension" or "sponge" recommended for many cooperative learning activities.

This structure reinforces listening and probing skills, helps students process and rehearse information, and results in shared insights. Used at the beginning of a class period, the reading-based questions give students immediate feedback under low-risk conditions on their understanding of the assigned material. As you monitor the interviews, you can also determine how well the students have responded to the readings and possibly incorporate some of their ideas in your follow-on lecture/discussion

In this activity, developed by Frank Lyman (1981) , the instructor poses a question, preferably one demanding analysis, evaluation, or synthesis, and gives students thirty seconds or more to think through an appropriate response (Think).

This time can also be spent writing the response. After this "wait time," students then turn to partners

and share their responses, thus allowing time for both rehearsal and immediate feedback on their ideas (Pair).

During the third and last stage, student responses can be shared within learning teams, with larger groups, or with the entire class during a follow-up discussion (Share).

The Jigsaw strategy involves students reading different selections and sharing the information from that reading with a group or whole class. The reading assignment can be divided among group members to allow some students to receive more challenging text.

A Jigsaw may focus students in one of three main ways.1. Students jigsaw to read different sections of a textbook

chapter, different short stories following a similar theme, or stories by the same author.

2. Students might jigsaw around a certain topic of research using multiple text to gather information. Some examples include health issues of obesity, problems involving the environment,

3. Students jigsaw to research independently within a group. Each group would be responsible for one area of study within a generalized topic.

Step-by-Step1. Determine the text to be used either a

textbook chapter or identify a range of materials related to significant topics addressed in a lesson. Consider the skill level of students to determine appropriate text difficulty and satisfaction.

2. Organize students into cooperative groups, assigning each group their reading selection.

3. Students read selections independently. Encourage students to make notes on the text or use sticky notes to interact with the text.

4. Upon completing the selections, students who read the same text are grouped together to discuss the contents, concepts, information and to share their notes. Students will then create a summary of all the information gathered to share. They might summarize key points, design a concept map, use a graphic organizer, or highlight a set of notes. Teachers may collect these and copy them for the class giving each student his/her own personal set.

5. Students return to their original groups and each member shares his/her information from the assigned selection. The rest of the group is responsible for learning each section. When each member has presented, the entire reading selection has been covered.

In Within-Team Jigsaw, expert learning teams consist of a pair formed within a quad. If instructors are using playing cards to identify team roles, the suits can be used for pairing, black suits forming one pair and red suits the other. These suit partners function as smaller expert learning teams, similar to their larger counterparts formed in Jigsaw. Any fifth member (sometimes identified with a wild card or joker) joins a pair to form a triad.

As in Jigsaw, the two pairs master their part of the material and plan to teach it to the other pair. At the conclusion of the specified work time, the students regroup in their original teams. There they teach one another their portion of the problem. They can be asked to compare and contrast the results and to discuss their implications.

Within-Team Jigsaw is easier to implement than Jigsaw. Its disadvantage lies in the fact that the "puzzle" can have only two pieces. In Jigsaw the number of pieces is limited only by the imagination of the instructor and the number of students in the class. Within-Team Jigsaw, however, can be a creative, efficient way to ensure content mastery and peer learning.

Students reflect in writing on issues identified through sentence stems or prompts. It involves letter exchanges between students.

You prepare an activity sheet with the prompts (sentence stems) for reflection. These can be presented as individual handouts for out-of-class assignments or projected on an overhead for in-class writing. Because these exchanges can be composed fairly rapidly, they are often effective as an active learning/reflective in-class activity lasting about thirty minutes. All assignment sheets begin with a salutation (Dear X) and end with a P. S. "One personal thing about me you may not know is:"

Typical prompts might be: "I think the strongest candidate in the first Presidential debate was . . . because . . . “ “His strongest point

was . . ."; "The 'Just War' tradition has relevance today because: . .

Students pair off, then number off, 1-2. The teacher chooses a number, 1 or 2, to speak first. That student speaks about a specified topic for a specified length of time. The other student listens quietly and can nod or smile, but cannot speak or interrupt the speaker. After the allotted time has elapsed, the other student speaks for the same period of time on the same, or another, stipulated topic, with her or his partner in the listener role. After both partners have had equal opportunity to speak, the teacher randomly chooses a number of students, and asks them to summarize what their partners have said. (In a small class, all students could perhaps report.)

This structure encourages self-expression and idea exchange by having students "share the floor" equally. Listening is encouraged by students' need to summarize their partner's contribution after the exchange is complete (students cannot accomplish this step without listening). If the teacher does not wish to call on all students to report what has been said, randomly choosing a few students encourages all students to be ready to do so. Students do not know in advance whether or not they will be chosen to report, so they prepare in the event they will be chosen. In my own courses which typically have a large number of students, I use small name cards prepared by the students in order to randomly select students to report either orally, addressing the whole class, or in writing, for example, by students using the blackboard.