Cooperative Learning

Cooperative LearningCooperative Learning

What is Cooperative Learning?What is Cooperative Learning?

Learning is something students do, Learning is something students do, not something that is done to not something that is done to students.students.

Cooperation is working together to Cooperation is working together to accomplish shared goals.accomplish shared goals.

Cooperative Learning is the Cooperative Learning is the instructional use of small groups instructional use of small groups through which students work through which students work together to maximize their own and together to maximize their own and each other’s learning.each other’s learning.


Cooperative Learning helps you Cooperative Learning helps you accomplish a number of important accomplish a number of important goals simultaneously.goals simultaneously.

First, it helps raise the achievement First, it helps raise the achievement of all students, including those who of all students, including those who are GT are GT ANDAND those with learning those with learning problems!problems!


Second, it helps you build positive Second, it helps you build positive relationships among students which relationships among students which is the heart of creating a learning is the heart of creating a learning community that values diversity.community that values diversity.

Third, it gives students the Third, it gives students the experiences they need for healthy experiences they need for healthy social, psychological, and cognitive social, psychological, and cognitive development.development.


Cooperative Learning’s ability to Cooperative Learning’s ability to work on these three fronts at the work on these three fronts at the same time places it above all other same time places it above all other instructional methods.instructional methods.

Three Types of Cooperative Three Types of Cooperative GroupsGroups

Formal Cooperative Groups last from Formal Cooperative Groups last from one class period to several weeks.one class period to several weeks.

Informal Cooperative Groups may Informal Cooperative Groups may last a few minutes to one class last a few minutes to one class period.period.

Cooperative Base Groups are long Cooperative Base Groups are long term and last at least a year.term and last at least a year.

What type of groups in the What type of groups in the classroom?classroom?

Pseudo-Learning Groups: students Pseudo-Learning Groups: students work together but have no interest in work together but have no interest in doing so. They believe they will be doing so. They believe they will be graded or ranked on individual graded or ranked on individual performance. They see each other performance. They see each other as rivals.as rivals.


Traditional Classroom Learning Traditional Classroom Learning Groups: students are assigned to Groups: students are assigned to work together but assignments are work together but assignments are structured so that very little joint structured so that very little joint work is required. They interact work is required. They interact primarily to see how assignments are primarily to see how assignments are to be done.to be done.


The Cooperative Learning Group: The Cooperative Learning Group: students are happy to work together. students are happy to work together. They know their success depends on They know their success depends on the efforts of all group members. the efforts of all group members.

Cooperative Learning Groups Have Cooperative Learning Groups Have 5 Defining Characteristics:5 Defining Characteristics:

1- Members strive to accomplish 1- Members strive to accomplish something beyond their individual something beyond their individual abilities. Members think they sink or abilities. Members think they sink or swim together, and if one fails they swim together, and if one fails they all failall fail

Cooperative Learning Groups Have Cooperative Learning Groups Have 5 Defining Characteristics5 Defining Characteristics

2- Group members hold themselves 2- Group members hold themselves and each other accountable for doing and each other accountable for doing high quality work to achieve their high quality work to achieve their mutual goals.mutual goals.


3- Group members work face to face 3- Group members work face to face to produce joint projects. They do to produce joint projects. They do real work together and promote each real work together and promote each other’s success through helping, other’s success through helping, sharing, assisting, explaining, and sharing, assisting, explaining, and encouraging. They provide both encouraging. They provide both academic and personal support academic and personal support based on a commitment to and a based on a commitment to and a concern for each other.concern for each other.


4- Group members are taught social 4- Group members are taught social skills and are expected to use them skills and are expected to use them to coordinate their efforts and to coordinate their efforts and achieve their goals. Taskwork and achieve their goals. Taskwork and teamwork skills are emphasized and teamwork skills are emphasized and all members accept responsibility for all members accept responsibility for providing leadership.providing leadership.


5- Groups analyze how effectively 5- Groups analyze how effectively they are achieving their goals and they are achieving their goals and how well members are working how well members are working together to ensure continuous together to ensure continuous improvement of the quality of their improvement of the quality of their learning and teamwork process. learning and teamwork process.


5 (continued)5 (continued) As a result the group is more than As a result the group is more than

the sum of its parts and all students the sum of its parts and all students perform better than they would if the perform better than they would if the worked alone.worked alone.


The High Performance Cooperative The High Performance Cooperative Group:Group:

This group outperforms all This group outperforms all reasonable expectations.reasonable expectations.

What differentiates this group from What differentiates this group from other cooperative learning groups is other cooperative learning groups is the level of commitment members the level of commitment members have to each other and the group’s have to each other and the group’s success.success.

How can you make cooperation How can you make cooperation work?work?

Take your existing lessons and Take your existing lessons and curriculums, and structure them curriculums, and structure them cooperatively.cooperatively.

Tailor cooperative learning lessons to Tailor cooperative learning lessons to your unique instructional needs.your unique instructional needs.

Diagnose the problems some Diagnose the problems some students may have in working students may have in working together and intervene to increase together and intervene to increase the learning groups’ effectiveness.the learning groups’ effectiveness.

How can you make cooperation How can you make cooperation work?work?

For cooperation to work you must For cooperation to work you must structure 5 essential elements into structure 5 essential elements into each lesson.each lesson.

1- Positive Interdependence: provide 1- Positive Interdependence: provide a clear task and group goal so a clear task and group goal so students know they must sink or students know they must sink or swim together.swim together.

5 Essential Elements in Every 5 Essential Elements in Every LessonLesson

2- Individual and Group 2- Individual and Group Accountability:Accountability:

The group must be accountable for The group must be accountable for achieving its goal and each member achieving its goal and each member must be accountable for contributing must be accountable for contributing a fair share of the work.a fair share of the work.


3- Promotive Interaction:3- Promotive Interaction: Students need to do real work Students need to do real work

together in which they promote each together in which they promote each other’s success by sharing resources other’s success by sharing resources and by helping, supporting, and by helping, supporting, encouraging, and praising each encouraging, and praising each other’s efforts to learn.other’s efforts to learn.

Must be both an academic and Must be both an academic and personal support system.personal support system.


4- Teaching Skills:4- Teaching Skills: Cooperative Learning must teach Cooperative Learning must teach

some necessary interpersonal and some necessary interpersonal and small group skills. It requires small group skills. It requires students to learn both academic students to learn both academic subject matter and the elements of subject matter and the elements of teamwork.teamwork.


5- Group Processing:5- Group Processing: Exists when group members discuss Exists when group members discuss

how well they are achieving their how well they are achieving their goals and maintaining effective goals and maintaining effective working relationships. Groups decide working relationships. Groups decide what member actions were helpful or what member actions were helpful or not helpful and make decisions about not helpful and make decisions about what behaviors continue or change.what behaviors continue or change.

Why Use Cooperative Learning?Why Use Cooperative Learning?

Greater efforts to achieve.Greater efforts to achieve. More positive relationships among More positive relationships among

students.students. Greater psychological health.Greater psychological health.

• Self-esteemSelf-esteem• Self-identitySelf-identity• Social developmentSocial development• Ability to cope with adversity and stressAbility to cope with adversity and stress

Cooperative Learning

Education

cooperative learning

pseudolearning groups

learning groups effectiveness

cooperative base groups

informal cooperative

learning problems

learning community

group members