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Cooperative
Learning Techniques
by Gisele Glosser
| Cooperative learning
is more elaborate than group work activity. Cooperative learning
can be incorporated into your classroom management system. If you
train your students to work effectively in groups, the
results can be a very productive and fun learning environment. |
| One of my first experiments with cooperative
learning was to let my students work in groups of their own choosing.
Of course,
they chose to work with their friends and were not very productive.
I used this to
my advantage when I later assigned group partners, careful to avoid having close friends
in the same group. |
| Each school year I wait until October before
assigning groups. This gives me a chance to get to know my
students and learn about their
social and academic abilities. After about 6 weeks of teacher-directed lessons,
students welcome the idea of group work. I set aside an entire 40-minute period for
our first group work experience. I assign four partners to a group
(chosen ahead of time). The partners are chosen mainly by ability so that each group
will have one top-level, two middle-level and one struggling student in each group.
I also try to account for personality differences. Students may choose any
name for their group that is appropriate for a classroom. |
| The first group work assignment is usually a
simple and easy one. This gives students a chance to adjust to their partners and to
choose a group name. Students love to choose group names because it is cool
and because it gives them decision-making power. Ideally, all groups should choose a
name by the end of the class period. One member of each group places the name of the group
and the names of its members on an index card for me. |
I then create a handout that lists the name of
each group and its members in alphabetical order. This handout is distributed to the
class, along with a list of cooperative learning rules (see below).
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Every member of each group is responsible for all
work. |
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If there is a disagreement, form a consensus, not
a majority rule. Be constructive. |
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Be open to other members' ideas and encourage
their participation. Make sure no one is left out. |
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Every day one member of each group is designated
as the facilitator. The facilitator is not in charge of the group, but simply keeps
the group organized on a particular day. |
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Each day I choose a different group
facilitator. For example, if the facilitator is member 1, then the student whose
last name is alphabetically first is the facilitator for each group. (Remember the handout
that lists group names and members?) |
So why do I go to all this trouble? Allow me to
elaborate on the benefits of all this work.
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The facilitator distributes and collects
materials for the group. Instead of dealing with 28 students, I am dealing with 7 group
facilitators. This saves a lot of time and energy. |
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Manipulatives are very important but expensive
for grades K through 8. Instead of asking the principal for 28 sets of fraction pieces, I
ask for 7 sets (one for each group). This is a tremendous costs savings. |
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Having one set of manipulatives per group reduces
the time needed to put things away at the end of an activity. |
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Students sometimes explain things to each other
better than a teacher can to an entire class of students. This usually results in better
retention of material. |
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Questions are more likely to be asked and
answered in a group setting. This saves a lot of time over a long question-and-answer
session with the entire class, which can cause some students to become bored. |
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Students today seem to have a much shorter
attention span than they did years ago. With cooperative learning used on regular basis,
they are less likely to become restless or misbehave during a teacher-directed part of a
lesson since they know they will have time in groups. |
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Varying from teacher-directed to group-directed
activities prevents your class from falling into a rut. |
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Shy students are more likely to ask and answer
questions in a group setting. The same is true of low-skills students. |
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Today's job market is looking for people with
good interpersonal and problem-solving skills. Regular participation in cooperative
learning activities can help develop and hone these skills. |
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It is a good idea to change group partners during the
school year, otherwise tempers might flare. I assign new group partners each marking
period. My students look forward to this since they get to choose new group names. |
| It took time for me to adjust to the noise level
in my classroom during group work. Eventually I was able to differentiate between academic
and social conversations. I also had to get used to the time it takes for students to move
the furniture in the room. However, this time diminishes as students get used to
group work. I remember one time when an administrator observed a class of
mine. She commented on how quickly my students moved into groups and started their
assignment (under 2 minutes). She concluded that they must be working in groups
every day since they were so quick and well-trained. |
| Cooperative learning should not be used
haphazardly. However, when used with a plan, it can offer many educational benefits.
Most of all, it is just plain fun. |
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