Cooperative Learning

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 ED 3780

Part E: Cooperative Learning

Contents:

Page s

2 Cooperative Learning Overview

3-4 Cooperative Learning Introduction

5-6 Five Elements of C.L./What C.L. Means

7-10 Social Skills/Lifeskills

11 Why Process?/Processing Possibilities

12-13 Selected C.L. Structures

14 Managing Small Groups

15-16 Observing, Monitoring, & Intervening

17-19 DeBono’s Six Thinking HatsUpdated 8/06 Part E: Cooperative Learning 2

Cooperative Learning Overview

Cooperative learning is a well-researched teaching/learning strategy. Much of the research has been around since the early 1970s. Roger and David Johnson, brothers and professors from the University of Minnesota, have been contributing to the field for nearly 30 years. Also, Robert Slavin, from Johns Hopkins University, has also done a lot of research that supports cooperative learning as a solid strategy. Spencer Kagan has made cooperative learning more accessible by creating many teacher materials and making c.l. much more classroom friendly. His “structural approach” will be the main focus of the materials in this handbook because of its ease of use.

Here are just a few reasons why cooperative learning is an important strategy to use in our classrooms:

• two-thirds of students interviewed come to school because it’s a chance to meet with and talk with other students (according to John Goodlad, A Place Called School)

but. . .

“70 percent of classtime is spent listening to teacher talk” (John Goodlad)

and. . .

90 percent of the people who are fired the first year of employment are fired because of the inability to get along with their co-workers.

• “I will pay more for the ability to deal with people that any other ability under the sun.” (John D. Rockefeller)

• To meet the learning styles of our students, they must be allowed to touch, share, and verbalize (Jean Piaget)

Tell me: I’ll forget.

Show me: I’ll remember.

Involve me: I’ll learn.

• If the future of our world truly does belong to the youth of today, then it is imperative that educators reexamine the goal of education for their students. F.D.R. says it best:

“Today we are faced with the pre-eminent fact, that, if civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships–the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together and work together, in the same world, at peace.”

• Although this statement was made in the 1940s, it still holds true today.

Updated 8/06 Part E: Cooperative Learning 3

Cooperative Learning Introduction

Definition: Cooperative learning is an instructional strategy to encourage student achievement of both academic and social skill objectives in a non-competitive, collaborative learning environment.

Cooperative learning, when well-structured, is characterized by the following aspects and results:

Aspect-1: The creative of a classroom atmosphere where individual contributions benefit a group product.

Result-1: Individual self-esteem is enhanced.

A-2: An organization of the learning process which involves the acquisition of academic and social skills as specific objectives.

R-2: The learning of academic objectives in a way that helps students to better relate to each other in a positive, constructive manner both in and out of the school environment.

A-3: A caring climate in the classroom where the progress of all students is valued by their group and their classmates.

R-3: Students on all levels of achievement are willing to risk.

A-4: The utilization of students’ natural desires to interact with their peers.

R-4: All students in a group are encouraged to participate by the way the lesson is structured.

A-5: Learning is “student centered” rather than “teacher centered.”

R-5: Students begin to feel responsible for their own learning.

A-6: The application of multiple learning structures results in learning success for students with different learning styles.

R-6: The classroom does not become routine and repetitive.

A-7: Students are constantly given opportunities to verbalize knowledge of objectives with each other.

R-7: Studies show that students of all academic abilities deepen their understanding of a concept when it is verbalized. Updated 8/06 Part E: Cooperative Learning 4

Cooperative Learning is Not:

A. The only true way to teach. It is another valuable tool.

B. Unstructured group projects with individual assignments.

C. Easy for the lazy teacher or the lazy student.

D. Quiet and outwardly controlled.

E. Totally predictable, because people are so different.

F. Easy to jump into. You should start slowly with simple lessons and structures.

G. Done without careful planning.

H. Cooperative learning without the teaching of social skills.

I. Cooperative learning without processing the learning as part of the lesson.

J. High students tutoring low students.

K. Does not free the teacher from the need to direct teach, evaluate, grade, debrief, intervene, and conclude; but, all of the above processes can be shared with the students in time with some training on their part.

Updated 8/06 Part E: Cooperative Learning 5

Five Elements of Cooperative Learning

To be called cooperative learning, all five of these elements MUST be present in the lesson; otherwise, you have group work. Although group work can be fine, well-structured cooperative learning is the ideal. You will find that your classroom and students will function better when all these elements are present.

Positive Interdependence

When students in cooperative learning groups begin to realize that they "sink or swim" together, they quickly learn that they must depend on each other's knowledge, skills and support in order to complete their assignment, task, or project. Among the many ways to structure positive interdependence some are: (I) team goals: students being responsible for every member of the group learning the material or completing a project, report, mural, etc.; (2) shared materials or information; and (3) assigned roles in the group (such as: checker, encourager, recorder, etc.); and/or (4) the development of a sense of mastery and pride within the group.

Face-to-Face Interaction

The many positive outcomes from cooperative learning groups are due to the interaction and verbal exchanges that happen for students when working in carefully structured learning groups. There is about 15 times as much student discussion over subject matter in cooperative learning groups compared to the traditional classroom. In paired discussions half the class is talking and the other half are also involved because someone is speaking directly to them, rather than what happens when one student in the traditional classroom is talking or answering a question that the teacher has asked.

Individual Accountability

Cooperative learning teams are not successful unless every member has participated, learned, and understood the material. It is important to access individual learning and make each member accountable for his or her contribution. There are many ways to structure individual accountability: tests, color coding each member's part, using structures like Numbered Heads Together, Jigsaw, talking chips, paraphrasing, etc.

Social Skills

Few students have the necessary interactive skills they need to be successful in cooperative learning groups. It is essential that social skills are taught as part of the curriculum, and that students be motivated to use these skills so that their groups/teams can function effectively. Some of the critical social skills include listening, sharing, encouraging each other, taking turns, using I-Messages, negotiating conflict and respecting individual differences. Updated 8/06 Part E: Cooperative Learning 6

Processing

Processing is the time taken to discuss the content learned, how well the group worked together, what social and critical thinking skills were used, and how group members felt. Process questions need to be asked after each group activity, to bring a closure and understanding of what has been learned and what occurred during the group's work together. Processing has been proven to double the retention of facts and concepts contained in an academic lesson. It is a vital part of a cooperative lesson, yet should also be a part of ANY lesson.

Summary of What Cooperative Learning Means

Cooperative learning: More than a teaching strategy, more than an instructional technique. Cooperative learning is an entirely different way of viewing the educational process of schools, reshaping them into communities of caring in which individual students take responsibility for the learning of their classmates and respect and encourage each other’s diversity. Cooperative learning has the potential to completely transform all aspects of your classroom and of your school so as to promote the sharing of power, responsibility, and decision-making throughout. (Current issues, ¶ 8)

From: Sapon-Shevin, M. & Schniedewind, N. (1992). If cooperative learning’s the answer, what are the questions? Journal of Education, 174(2), 11-36. From the Academic Search Elite database. Updated 8/06 Part E: Cooperative Learning 7

Social Skills

As was stated in the previous section, teaching of social skills is a vital element to cooperative learning. Kagan (1992) states “...when students move to complex cooperative projects, they need help in learning how to listen to each other, resolve conflicts, set and revise agendas, keep on task, and encourage other” (p. 4:5). Furthermore, he states “There is a variety of ways of fostering the development of social skills, including modeling, defining, role-playing, observing, reinforcing, processing, and practicing specific social skills” (p 4:5).

Teachers can teach social skills in very systematic ways without taking away vast amounts of curricular time. Several ways include having a skill of the week/month, creating bulletin boards that reinforce the skills, assigning roles in groupwork, and practicing the skills in groups and having feedback on those skills through self-, peer-, or teacher assessments.

Students need the “skills to work together” not only in the classroom, but in the “real world.” By providing them skills to work on specific problems, students will be able to incorporate this ideas into their life-long learning schema.

The following lists will give you ideas about some social skills and “lifeskills” students need to learn. This is not an exhaustive list. Many teachers use these ideas directly in their classroom/student management. Instead of telling the student what he or she did wrong, many teachers simply ask, “What social skill or lifeskill did you not honor?” This puts the behavior squarely on the student’s shoulder. However, to use this effectively, you must first teach what these skills are.

asic Social Skills:

B

1. Everybody helping 6. Following directions

2. Helping students do things 7. Staying in own area

for themselves 8. Using quiet voices

3. Listening 9. Keeping parts to oneself

4. Sharing resources 10. Responding to signal

5. Staying on task

dvanced Social Skills

A

11. Treating others with respect 21. Playing own role

12. Consulting group before teacher 22. Paraphrasing

13. Solving problems cooperatively 23. Asking questions

14. Explaining 24. Sharing feelings

15. Praising 25. Encouraging others to talk

16 Displaying leadership 26. Disagreeing in an agreeable way Updated 8/06 Part E: Cooperative Learning 8

17. Sharing and contributing 27. Giving everyone equal time

18. Giving directions without being bossy 28. Compromising

19. Encouraging 29. Correcting

20. Checking others’ understanding 30. Summarizing

of work 31. Solving problems without arguing

Johnson, R.T. & Johnson, D.W. (1993). Circles of learning.

Edina, Minnesota: Interaction Book Company.

Lifeskills

INTEGRITY: To act according to a sense of what’s right and wrong

INITIATIVE: To do something because it needs to be done

FLEXIBILITY: To be willing to alter plans when necessary

PERSEVERANCE: To keep at it

ORGANIZATION: To plan, arrange, and implement in an orderly way; to keep things orderly and ready to use

SENSE OF HUMOR: To laugh and be playful without harming others

EFFORT: To do your best

COMMON SENSE: To use good judgment

PROBLEM-SOLVING: To create solutions in difficult situations and everyday problems RESPONSIBILITY: To respond when appropriate, to be accountable for your actions PATIENCE: To wait calmly for someone or something

FRIENDSHIP: To make and keep a friend through mutual trust and caring

CURIOSITY: A desire to investigate and seek understanding of one’s world

COOPERATION: To work together toward a common goal or purpose

CARING: To feel and show concern for others

Kovalik, S. (1994). ITI: The model: Integrated thematic instruction.

Kent, WA: Susan Kovalik and Assoc.

Teaching Social Skills

There are many ways to teach social skills. (1) You can teach skills that specifically address a classroom problem. (2) You can have a “skill of the week.” (3)You can create a bulletin board that discusses social skills. (4) You can create “Looks Like, Sounds Like, Feels Like” charts with your students. (5) You can also assign roles that correspond to specific social skills. (6) You can break the skill into specific parts.

. Addressing a specific problem:

1

􀂃 Getting off task-----------------------teach staying on task

􀂃 Not listening to each other--------teach listening skills

􀂃 Class too noisy--------------teach quiet voices

Updated 8/06 Part E: Cooperative Learning 9

. Skill of the Week

2

􀂃 Focus on a specific skill

􀂃 Teach it, use it, and give feedback on its use

3. Bulletin Boards are a great way to reinforce student behavior and learning. A social skills bulletin board provides an on-going visual reminder.

4. By creating a “Looks Like, Sounds Like, Feels Like” chart with the students, you can reinforce what each social skills entails. Example: As the teacher you ask the students, if I am looking for listening, “What will I see?” “What will I hear?” and “How does it make you feel when people are listening to you?”

Listening Looks Like	Sounds Like	Feels Like
heads together eyes looking people nodding leaning forward smiling	talking one at a time encouragement good idea uh-huh yes!	great I’m important people care I’m smart we’re friends