COOPERATIVE LEARNING

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COOPERATIVE LEARNING

• A FORM OF INSTRUCTION IN WHICH STUDENTS ARE
  ORGANIZED IN GROUPS OR TEAMS.

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As you design lessons, consider how are students
going to learn.

• Individuallyeach student having all the material
  and equipment to do the activity by themselves.

• Cooperatively--- students working in various
  groups of a predetermined size with materials and
  tasks shared by members of the group.

• Competitively---students working alone or in
  groups with material and equipment and same task.

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COOPERATIVE LEARNING

• A technique in which students are organized into
  groups to complete assignments collaboratively,
  to assist each other, to solve problems, to share
  materials, and to participate in discussion.

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RESEARCH ON COOPERATIVE LEARNING

• Promotes student achievement, interpersonal
  relations, social relations, self-esteem, and
  attitudes toward learning.
• Typically results in achievement levels that are
  equal to or greater than individualistic or
  competitive classroom teaching methods.
• Encourages students to become active participants
  rather than passive recipients of information.
• Helps students become motivated to learn.
• Promotes higher level thinking skills

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COOPERATIVE LEARNING IS NOT

• Asking the faster or smarter students to help the
  slow ones

• Students splitting up a homework assignment so
  that each person only does one problem and copies
  the rest from other students

• Group projects in which everyone gets the same
  grade, despite the fact that one person did all
  the work

• A cop-out for teachers who want to do less
  lecturing

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BASIC PRINCIPLES P-I-E-S defines cooperative
learning

• Positive interdependence---students perceive that
  they need each other to complete the groups
  task. The goals or tasks are structured so that
  the students must concern themselves with the
  performance of all members of the group, not just
  their own performance. (all succeed or all fail)

2. Individual accountability--- each students
performance is frequently assessed and the
results are given to the group and individual. No
student can piggyback on the work of others. This
prevents the work-horse and free-loader. (All
students need a job)
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BASIC PRINCIPLES P-I-E-S defines cooperative
learning

• Equal Participation---essential for cooperative
  learning to exist. Students promote each others
  learning by helping, sharing, and encouraging
  efforts to learn. Students explain, discuss, and
  teach what they know to classmates. Each students
  must participate the same amount of time as
  another.

• Simultaneous Interaction---research shows that
  teachers talk 80 of the time in a class. Out of
  50 minutes class, teachers talk 40 minutes and
  the remaining 10 minutes is divided by the number
  of students in the room. Only seconds per
  student per hour to actively participate.
  Cooperative learning permits more active
  participation by each student.

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GROUPING STUDENTS
What are the advantages of grouping students?

• Allows the teacher more time to work among
  students rather than one-on-one.

• Allows the teacher to organize students according
  to interests.

• Allows the teacher to arrange the experience so
  that special needs learners are integrated and
  participate with their peers.

• Allows the teacher to arrange the experience to
  provide remedial assistance.

• Allows the teacher to modify tasks for a group
  with specific needs.

• Allows the teacher to organize according to
  ability level.

• Builds self-esteem and promotes teamwork.

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GROUPING STUDENTS

• What are some strategies for grouping?
• Quick waysnumber off or assign ahead of time
• Creative ways---
• Put tasks in hat, box or something and have
  students draw the tasks and group accordingly
• Draw colors to group
• Related objects-students choose a item on table
  and things that are alike for them group. (all
  pencils, candy etc)
• Puzzle cut-upschoose pictures related to a
  specific topic or task. Cut in number of pieces
  in groups. Students choose piece and then put
  puzzle together making the group.

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WORKING IN GROUPS

• Group Size depends on team
• T time limits
• E students experience in working in groups
• A students age
• M materials and equipment available
• When we work in groups we
• Ggive encouragement
• R---respect others
• O---on task (stay)
• U---use quiet voices
• P---participate actively
• S---stay in our group
• Follow the kiss method
• K---keep on task

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ROLE OF THE TEACHER

• Make pre-instructional decisions
• Specify academic and social skills objectives
  every lesson has both academic and interpersonal
  and small group objectives.
• Decide on group size learning groups should be
  small (groups of 3 to 4 is best) Size depends on
  activity and project.
• Decide on group composition (assign students to
  groups) assign students to groups randomly or
  select groups yourself.
• Assign rolesA MUST--- all should have a job
  assign each student a role and explain the
  function of each.
• --leader, recorder, researcher, reported
• --captain, materials monitor, task master,
  recorder
• ---leader, recorder, reporter, monitor, wild
  card
• Plan materials arrange materials to give a
  message of sink or swim together. Give only one
  paper to the group or give each member part of
  the material to learn.
• 6. Arrange the room group members should be
  knee to knee and eye to eye but arranged so
  they all can see the instructor at the front of
  the room.

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ROLE OF THE TEACHER

• 2. Explain task and cooperative structure
• Explain the task explain the task, the
  objectives of the lesson, the concepts and
  principles students need to know to complete the
  assignment, and the procedures they are to
  follow.
• Explain the criteria for success student work
  should be evaluated on a criteria-referenced
  basis. Make clear your criteria for evaluating
  students work.
• Structure Positive interdependence students
  must believe they sink or swim together.
  Students are responsible for their own learning
  and the learning of all other group members.
• Structure inter group cooperation have groups
  check with and help other groups. Extend the
  benefits of cooperation to the whole class. This
  emphasizes social skills
• Structure individual accountability each
  student must feel responsible for doing his or
  her share of the work and helping the other group
  members.
• Specify expected behaviors The more specific
  you are about the behaviors you want to see in
  the groups, the more likely students will do
  them. Ex. Staying with the group, quiet voices,
  participating, summarizing, criticizing ideas,
  asking for justifications. Teach team
  functioning.

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ROLE OF THE TEACHER

• 3. Monitor and intervene
• Arrange face-to-face interaction conduct the
  lesson in ways that ensure that students face
  each other to make it easy to talk and share.
• Monitor students behavior This is the fun
  part! While students are working, you circulate
  to see whether they understand the assignment
  and the material, give immediate feedback and
  reinforcement, and praise good use of group
  skills. Collect observation data on each group
  and student.
• Intervene to improve taskwork and teamwork
  Provide taskwork assistance (clarify, reteach) if
  students do not understand the assignment.
  Provide teamwork assistance if students are
  having difficulties in working together
  productively. (keep a checklist in hand to record
  what you see)

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ROLE OF THE TEACHER

• Assess and process
• Evaluate student learning assess and evaluate
  the quality and quantity of students learning.
  Involve students in the assessment process.
  (samples of evaluation form in handouts)
• Process group functioning (accountability)
  Insure each student receives feedback, analyzes
  the data on group functioning, sets an
  improvement goal, and participates in a team
  celebration Have groups routinely list three
  things they did well in working together and one
  thing they will do better tomorrow. Summarize as
  a whole class. Have groups celebrate their
  success and hard work.

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INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNTABILITY

• Require that individual students perform an
  identifiable portion of the group assignment.
• Ask groups to turn in a list of each students
  contribution to the final product.
• Use peer evaluation of group members
  participation and contributions.
• Ask students to record observations in individual
  notebooks that you will collect and grade at
  various times.
• Have students turn in individual workat set
  timeseven if it is just individual class notes.
• Require students to keep a daily record of their
  individual work in spiral notebooks.
• Let students know that when their group reports
  to the class, each student should be ready to
  explain its work. Better yet, require that each
  student be responsible for some part of the group
  presentation.
• Give students a quiz based on the group
  assignment.

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TIPS FOR USING COOPERATIVE LEARNING

• Begin using cooperative learning with only small
  tasks.
• Select a lesson which you know well.
• Plan in detail
• Develop clear directions.
• Prepare detailed instruction sheets or worksheets
  for groups.
• Start with small groups and small tasks or
  projects.
• Teach social skills which are key to group
  success.
• Set and post expected behaviors.
• Allow time for group processing
• Set up the room and leave it for a while to help
  with group work.
• Plan to reward groups that reach their goals

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COOPERATIVE LEARNING

• Cooperative learning is one of several teaching
  strategies that help students learn the skills
  that they will be required to do in real
  life---team work.

• Involves students working while YOU serve as a
  resource and monitor. (the person who works the
  most learns the most)

• If you always do what you always done you will
  always get what you always got.

• TRY THIS NEW STRATEGYteach and use cooperative
  learning in your class.

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ASSIGNMENT

• Develop a cooperative learning activity/ unit for
  your class that can be used in teaching from 1 to
  5 days.

• Review evaluation criteria rubric for the
  assignment