Lesson.13 collabo

LESSON 13

COOPERATIVE LEARNING with the computer

Sarah Mae P. de Castro

III - Bachelor in Agricultural Technology – Agricultural

Technology Education

Bicol UniversityCollege of Agriculture and Forestry

Guinobatan,Albay

Sarah Mae P. de CastroIII – Bachelor in Agricultural Technology major

in Agricultural Technology Education

Cooperative or collaborative learning is learning by small groups of students who work together in a common learning task.

Five Elements:

A common goalInterdependenceInteractionIndividual accountabilitySocial Skills

Therefore not every group work is cooperative learning since students working on their work sheets physically sat around a table may be working together without these features of cooperative learning.

It is manifested that cooperative learning in its true sense is advantageous since it:

1.Encourages active learning, while motivating students;

2.Increases academic performance;

3.Promotes literacy and language skills; and

4.Improves teacher effectiveness.

In addition, there are studies which show that cooperative

learning enhances personal and social development among students of all ages, while enhancing self-esteem and improving social relations

between racially and culturally different students.

COOPERATIVE LEARNING AND THE COMPUTER

Researchers have made studies on the learning interaction between the student and the computer. The studies have great value since it has been a long standing fear that the computer may foster student learning in isolation that hinders the development of the student's social skill.

Now this mythical fear has been contradicted by the studies which show that when students work with computers in groups, they cluster and interact with each other for advice and mutual

help. And given the option to work individually or in a group, the students generally wish to work together in a computer-

based and non-computer-based activities.

Reflecting on this phenomenon, psychologists think the computer fosters this positive social behavior due to the fact

that it has a display monitor---just like a television set---that is looked upon as something comunal.

Therefore researchers agree that the

computer is a fairly natural learning

vehicle for cooperative (at times called

prommotive) learning.

COMPONENTS OF COOPERATIVE

LEARNING

Educators are still vary about the computer’s role in cooperative learning. Thus they pose the position that the use of computers do not automatically result in cooperative learning.

In that case, therefore, assign the teacher several tasks in order to ensure collaborative learning. These are:

• Assigning students to mixed-ability teams;

• Establishing positive interdependence;

• Teaching cooperative social skills;• Insuring individual accountability,

and• Helping groups process

information.

These are in addition to assigning a common work goal in which each member of the group will realize that their groups success. It is also important for the teacher to limit learning group clusters ( Six is the ideal number in a group ) so that there can be closer involvement in thinking and learning.