Cooperative Learning and Creating
Communities Website for this Course
https://sites.google.com/site/creating
classroomcommunities/home
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Welcome to Cooperative Learning!
What do these creatures have in common?
bottlenose dolphin
brown spider
grizzly bear
garden snail
What do these creatures have
in common?
bottle
nose
dolphin
brow
n spider
grizzly b
ear
garden snail
Cooperation is one of the most important human activities.
Elephants have survived as a species because of their size;
cheetahs because of their speed;
humans because of their ability to cooperate for the
good of the group.
In modern life, people who can organize as a group to accomplish a common end are likely to be successful – in business, in sports, in the military,
in education, or in virtually any endeavor.
Opportunities for Collaboration and Cooperation
beginning of class – share homework
beginning of a lesson – review previous learning
beginning of lesson – practice a needed skill
Opportunities for Collaboration and Cooperation
during a lesson – change of pace
during a lesson – check for understanding
during a lesson – guided practice
end of class – closure
Expectations for Students
When Collaborating and Cooperating
• getting to know the members of the class
• getting ideas and information from others
• helping by sharing ideas and information
• active listening, sharing, participating
• positive and enthusiastic
Essential Conditions for Collaboration and Cooperation
• safe classroom environment
• group building activities
• reduce or eliminate competition in the classroom
• students understand why they are working
together
• provide information for family members
People seek association with groups.
American Association of Dental Victims
American Fancy Rat and Mouse Association
International Brick Collectors Association
Messies Anonymous
Minnesota Sit and Spit Club
“It is my contention that unless we stop talking in
generalities and begin to talk about some specific
changes in the structure of our teaching and in
the role of the teacher in that new structure, and
give these changes a fair trial, we will not make a
dent in the growing number of unmotivated
students who are essentially forced to attend
Cooperative Learning can help to
meet
Cooperative learning can promote increased
Cooperative learning can promote
friendship
Cooperative learning is
inexpensive
and
Traditional classroom-competitive
Who do I need to beat to
be successful?
Traditional classroom--individualistic
How can I achieve my goals
and be successful?
Cooperative classroom
Where can I get
help and support?
How can I help and
support others?
Heterogeneous groups
“max mix”
• acceptance
• belonging to group
Positive interdependence
“pulling together”
• trust
• child directed
Group Interaction
“let’s do it”
• communication skills
• social skills
• problem solving and
conflict resolution
Group reward
“we did it!”
• task completion and pride
• bonding to group
Problems with Group Grading
• not an appropriate way to assess students
• working together must not harm any student
• high achieving students may feel anxious
• high achieving students may feel resentful
• lower achieving students may be less motivated
• lower achieving students may become
dependent
Equitable Grading
• individual accountability
• reflect individual effort and progress
• no penalty for working together
• may earn bonus points for working well
together
• better grade for more individual productivity
Individual accountability
“I did my part!”
• belonging
• responsibility
Success
“We did it well!”
• group processing and group
evaluation
• planning and self direction
Differences between Collaborative and Cooperative Learning
collaborative cooperative
students choose groups teacher chooses groups
some students may feel all students are included
left out
students with similar different achievement
levels often choose to levels are assigned to
work together together
some groups may not be all groups can be
Collaborative Learning
• benefits of cooperative learning are not
guaranteed in student selected or random groups
• can work against the goals of the
classroom community
• students with lower skills who choose to
work together may not have the skills to do so
• random grouping may cause students who
Roles for Collaborative and Cooperative Tasks
facilitator
gofer
writer
reporter
encourager
Social Skills Can Be Practiced When Students Work Together
• saying please and thank you
• staying on task
• disagreeing constructively
• being positive
• making eye contact
• conflict management
• making sure everyone is included
Communication Skills Can Be Practiced While Students Work Together
• active listening
• using appropriate voice levels
• positive nonverbal behavior
• asking questions
• clarifying instructions
• repeating ideas and paraphrasing
• giving reasons for ideas
• reaching agreement
Teaching Social and Communication Skills
T – chart
Skill ______________________________________
Sounds like Does not sound like
Group Processing
• debrief after group activities
• reflect on what went well
• set goals for improving group work
• feedback to students
Example of Cooperative Learning Strategy
Think – Pair – Share
Frank Lyman, Jr.
listen
think
pair
Example of Cooperative Learning Strategy
Numbered Heads Together Spencer Kagan
Each student in the group is given a number.
The teacher asks a question or poses a problem.
Students discuss the question in their groups making sure each group member understands. (Heads together)
Numbered Heads Together
Sequential Form The teacher asks students
with the number called to raise their hands if they know the answer. One student is called on to respond.
Strategies for Assessing Cooperative Learning
teacher observation
group processing
group product
individual assessment
always needed for checking understanding and grading
