Using Cooperative Learning in the Secondary Mathematics Classroom

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Using Cooperative Learning in the Secondary
Mathematics Classroom
Cooperative Learning
Ian Cassells, QIO Secondary Maths, North
Lanarkshire Monica Kirson, Numeracy Development
Officer

• The Mathematical Association Conference
• Saturday 19th September 2009

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Cooperative Learning
Agenda
Activities Used Maths Content . .
. Simultaneous Round Table - Solving
Simultaneous Equations Expert Jigsaw - Solving
Past Paper Questions Stand Deliver - Learn
Coop Learning Processes Paired Reading -
Preparation For Homework
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Cooperative Learning
5 Basic Elements - cooperative learning structure
Positive Interdependence you cannot complete
task alone Individual Accountability you
cannot opt out of the task Face to Face
Interaction discuss/work close together Social
Skills the behaviour expectations Group
Processing assessing your contribution
understanding
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Cooperative Learning
Positive Interdependence

• Goal
• Reward
• Resource
• Role
• Sequence
• Simulation
• Outside Force
• Environment
• Identity

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"None of us is as smart as all of us."
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Cooperative Learning
Round Robin Share (Team-Building Activity)
Social Skill Listening Attentively to Your
Team Starting with the tallest member and then
proceeding clockwise, share

• Your Name
• Your School and Role
• Your Favourite Topic in Maths which you love
  teaching

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Cooperative Learning
Activity 1 Think Pair Share
Simultaneous Round Table
Academic Task I Can Solve Simultaneous
Equations Using Think Pair Share
Simultaneous Round Table Social
Skills To Use Your Best Handwriting To
Check For Understanding
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Cooperative Learning
Activity 1 Think-Pair-Share

• Working with your Shoulder Partner, write down
  the first equation
• Check with your Face Partner
• Working with your Shoulder Partner, write down
  the second equation
• Check with your Face Partner
• As a team, decide what order to write down your
  two equations

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Cooperative Learning
Activity 1 Simultaneous Round Table

• As a team, decide which unknown letter to
  eliminate first multiply up each equation
  CHECK ROTATE JOTTERS
• Solve for first unknown CHECK ROTATE JOTTERS
• Solve for second unknown CHECK ROTATE
  JOTTERS
• Answer Question CHECK ROTATE JOTTERS
• Repeat whole process for subsequent questions

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Cooperative Learning
Activity 1 - Processing Academic Task

• Academic Task I Can Solve Simultaneous
  Equations using
• Think-Pair-Share Simultaneous Round
  Table
• Resources Show-me Board or Card for each group
  
• Everyone must agree on their team rule for
  solving Simultaneous Equations.
• Person 1 Resource Manager
• Person 2 Writer
• Person 3 Timer
• Person 4 Encourager
• Time for task 2 minutes

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Cooperative Learning
Activity 1 - Processing Social Skills To Use Your
Best Handwriting To Check for Understanding

• How well did YOU participate in this activity
• Did you Use Your Best Handwriting ?
• Did you Check for Understanding ?
• Rate yourself using a Fist to 5
• Teams could display their scores on a show-me
  board
• Could also keep team-journals with scores
  personal reflections noted for evidence of
  learning.

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Cooperative Learning
Activity 2 Expert Jigsaw
Academic Task I Can Solve Past Paper
Questions using Expert Jigsaw Social
Skills To Agree On The Best Solution To
Explain Your Solution Clearly
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Cooperative Learning
Activity 2 Expert Jigsaw

• All Number 1s work together in teams of 2, 3 or 4
  and write out the best solution - paying
  attention to the marks allocated to their
  question (all number 2s, 3s and 4s do the same in
  their expert groups)
• Everyone now takes time to check for
  understanding
• Everyone returns to their Home Team and take
  turns to teach their team members how to do their
  question.
• Everyone should now have the best solutions to
  all 4 Past Paper questions.

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Cooperative Learning
Activity 2 - Processing Academic Task I Can
Solve Past Paper Questions using Expert Jigsaw
(Using traffic lights to assess academic
tasks) Think to yourself RED . . . . . . Why
RED / What do I need to do to understand
better? AMBER . . . Why AMBER / What do I need
to do to improve? GREEN . . . Why GREEN / What
do I need to do to keep this up?
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Cooperative Learning
Activity 2 - Processing Social Skills To Agree on
The Best Solution To Explain Your Solution
Clearly

• Think to yourself
• How well did you participate in each team
  activity
• Did you Agree on the Best Solution in a Friendly
  Way
• Did you Explain Your Solution Clearly
• Did you give help and support when needed
• Think and then share with your team
• If you did perform well, what was it that made
  that so
• What could you do in subsequent tasks to
  perform even better
• Start with Person 2 (could record all comments
  in team journal)

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Cooperative Learning
Activity 3 - Stand and Deliver
Academic Task I Can Learn the Processes for
Think-Pair-Share Simultaneous Round
Table Expert Jigsaw Stand
Deliver Social Skills To Take Turns
To Support Each Other
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Cooperative Learning
Activity 3 - Stand and Deliver (Explanation)

• Team members all stand and take turns to learn
  the task/formulae
• When all team members are confident with the
  task/formulae, then all members can sit back
  down.
• Sitting down indicates to the teacher that all
  members have learned the task/formulae.
• The teacher can now call upon any member of any
  team to share what they have learned with the
  whole class.

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Cooperative Learning
Activity 3 - Stand and Deliver

• Team members all stand and take turns to learn
  the processes involved in the lessons used today
• Think-Pair-Share
• Simultaneous Round Table
• Expert Jigsaw
• Stand Deliver
• When all team members are confident with the
  task/formulae, then all members can sit back down
• Remember sitting down indicates to the teacher
  that everyone in your team has learned all the
  processes

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Cooperative Learning
Activity 3 - Processing Academic Task I Can Learn
the Processes for Think-Pair-Share,
Simultaneous Round Table, Expert Jigsaw and
Stand Deliver
Using Numbered Heads Together, the teacher can
quickly check for understanding at each group.
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Cooperative Learning
Activity 4 Paired Reading
Academic Task Get Ready To Complete
Your Homework Successfully Social Skills
To Use Quiet Voices To Take Turns
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Cooperative Learning
Activity 4 Paired Reading

• Sequence
• Person 1 2 prepare together
• Person 3 4 prepare together
• Everyone (silently) reads Question 1
• Person 1 and 3 explain solution to their partners
• Everyone (silently) reads Question 2
• Person 2 and 4 explain solution to their partners
• 5. Continue reading taking turns to explain
  until all questions have been addressed

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Cooperative Learning
Activity 4 - Processing Academic Task I Can
Prepare Myself so that I can Complete My Homework
Successfully

• Marking these completed homework tasks will help
  to assess individual performance on the academic
  content.

Activity 4 - Processing Social Skills To Use
Quiet Voices To Take Turns

• How well did you participate in this activity
• Did you use Quiet Voices ?
• Did you Take Turns ?
• Rate yourself using the Roman Rating

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Cooperative Learning
Conclusion - Think-Pair-Share
Think One thing that you will take away from
this presentation today Pair Share your
thoughts with your shoulder partner The
person with the longest hair shares first
Share Tell your face partner what you heard
Time Limit 2 minutes
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Cooperative Learning
Thank You
Thank you for your time and attention Please
thank your team members for supporting your
learning today
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Cooperative Learning
Contact details
Monica Kirson Numeracy Development
Officer kirsonm_at_ourladys.n-lanark.sch.uk MKirson_at_L
TScotland.gov.uk Ian Cassells QIO, Secondary
Maths, NL cassellsi_at_northlan.gov.uk
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Cooperative Learning
More Ideas on how to use these Cooperative
Learning Activities in the Maths Class.
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Cooperative Learning
Agenda
Activities Used Maths Content . .
. Simultaneous Round Table - Solving
Simultaneous Equations Expert Jigsaw - Solving
Past Paper Questions Stand Deliver - Learn
Coop Learning Processes Paired Reading -
Preparation For Homework
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Cooperative Learning
Activity 5 Think Pair Share
Academic Task I Can Practice Mental
Non- Calculator Questions Social Skills To
Work in Silence To Reach Consensus
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Cooperative Learning
Activity 5 Think Pair Share

• Everyone Works In Pairs or Trios
• Person 1 writes down their answer to the question
• Person 2 writes down their answer if different
• In silence pupils agree on the correct answer
• On the teachers signal all teams show their
  answer
• To encourage correct responses could give 2nd
  chance
• Now person 2 is first to write their answer ( so
  on)

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Cooperative Learning
Activity 5 Think Pair Share

• How many faces would be needed to construct
• 5 dodecahedrons ?
• Clue this 3-D shape could be used to display a
  calendar!

Answer 12 x 5 60 faces
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Cooperative Learning
Activity 5 Think Pair Share
Explain why the perimeter of this triangular
enclosure, is not 5 Kilometres.
Clue Think of Pythagorean Triples!
Perimeter 6 5 5 16 Km
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1. Cooperative Learning

Activity 5 Think Pair Share

• What is the gradient of the tangent to the
  curve,
• y x2 2x 4, at x 3
• A. 6 B. 11 C. 8 D. 4
• Clue gradient m dy/dx

Answer 2 x 3 2 8, C.
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Cooperative Learning
Activity 5 - Processing Academic Task I Can
Practice Mental and Non-Calculator
Questions Using Think-Pair-Share

• Teams display their score on their show-me board
• Using the show-me boards, teachers can quickly
  gauge understanding and progression throughout.

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Cooperative Learning
Activity 5 - Processing Social Skills To Work in
Silence To Reach Consensus

• How well did YOU participate in this activity
• Did you Work in Silence ?
• Did you Reach Consensus Amicably ?
• Rate yourself using Thinking Thumbs or Roman
  Rating