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Cooperative Learning and How To Use It in The Classroom

Cooperative learning involves students working together in small groups to accomplish learning tasks, with benefits including improved social skills, self-confidence, and decision making abilities. Effective strategies for cooperative learning include think-pair-share, using small groups of 4 students with defined roles, and mixing skill levels within groups to aid peer teaching. When implemented correctly with clear directions, cooperative learning can boost student engagement and outcomes.

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NUR FAIZAH BINTI ROSLAN STUDENT
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64 views

Cooperative Learning and How To Use It in The Classroom

Cooperative learning involves students working together in small groups to accomplish learning tasks, with benefits including improved social skills, self-confidence, and decision making abilities. Effective strategies for cooperative learning include think-pair-share, using small groups of 4 students with defined roles, and mixing skill levels within groups to aid peer teaching. When implemented correctly with clear directions, cooperative learning can boost student engagement and outcomes.

Uploaded by

NUR FAIZAH BINTI ROSLAN STUDENT
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Cooperative Learning and How to Use

It in the Classroom
Charles B. Foster
Middle school principal; M.A. in School Administration

 July 31, 2020


 Teaching Strategies

Home  Teacher Resources  Teaching Strategies


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What is Cooperative Learning?

Cooperative learning is a classroom instruction presentation model that involves


students working together to meet their learning goals in learning teams or groups.
In the 1940s, education reformers like John Dewey began to analyze the benefits of
students working together in the classroom. At that time, cooperative learning was
considered cutting edge compared to the preferred format of individual student
learning. In the one room schoolhouse of the 1800s and early 1900s, students of all
ages worked on their own learning goals.
True cooperative learning involves more than just having students sit together in
groups. When done well, cooperative learning involves planning with clear directions,
student work roles, and outcomes and measures for learning goals. Teachers who
use this method see the value in cooperation, teamwork, and collaboration as a
major part of their classrooms. Students who learn how to collaborate through
cooperative learning can become adults who work together more effectively in the
work place.

In the classroom, a cooperative learning lesson involves students working in small


groups to accomplish a learning task. The task is assigned by the teacher with clear
directions. Students then work on the task together with defined roles (i.e. reporter,
spokesperson, researcher, recorder). Teachers who are effective at evaluating the
group together as one understand that each person in the group has a “shared”
responsibility.

When the cooperative learning group completes the learning task, the teacher
evaluates the results. That evaluation needs to include some type of format to
determine if the student(s) accomplished their learning goals (i.e. rubric). If each
student sitting in the group isn’t held responsible for helping complete their portion of
the learning task, then it isn’t truly “cooperative learning”.

What are the Benefits of Cooperative Learning?

There are many benefits for classroom instruction when cooperative learning
strategies are done correctly. There are several briefly discussed here including:
promotion of social interaction, buildup of student self-confidence, improvement in
collaborative skills of students, as well as the improvement in student decision-
making skills. Cooperative learning-run classrooms can also assist teachers in
working with students who have wider skill gaps.

Teachers with students who work in cooperative learning groups typically allow for
more social interaction and can enhance students’ collaborative skills. Cooperative
learning groups force students to interact socially and practice collaboration. Teacher
lessons that include positive, active student collaboration are planned out with clear
directions and expectations for students.

Many students are timid or shy and in a whole-group setting can often be leery of
sharing their thoughts, questions, or answers. Students who participate in
cooperative learning lessons have opportunities to build their self-confidence (again
if planned efficiently and effectively by the teacher). Because of this, teachers have
to work really hard to make sure that all students working in cooperative groups have
a part in the task. They have to reassure them and hold them accountable. Does
every student in the group have a role or responsibility? Is the teacher roaming the
classroom during the lesson, asking key questions to check for student
understanding and to make sure that they are hearing and seeing all students
participate?

Cooperative learning lessons that are planned out efficiently can allow for growth in
student decision-making. Students who work in groups and collaborate (talk, plan
etc.) are more likely to build on their decision-making skills. Many modern
workplaces call for employees who are capable of making decisions while working
with “teams” vs. working in isolation. Group lessons that allow for students to
collaborate and talk about the task can prompt students to share thoughts and thus
build on decision-making skills. A quad, or student group of four, can allow for four
different students, with four different thoughts, to build on decision-making skills
while improving their socialization. Young people need the socialization, and
cooperative learning lessons greatly enhance this.

Teachers who use cooperative learning groups also have some flexibility to pull
small groups and work with individual students or small ability groups during the
lesson time. This can arguably be a great advantage for a teacher with a classroom
of 30 students. There may be a need to work more closely with the 4 or 5 students
who have the highest learning gaps. Allowing students to independently work in
small groups gives teachers the opportunity to work with those individuals on
targeted gaps. Use of cooperative groups can allow for differentiation of
instruction, depending on how the teacher decides to establish them.
Cooperative Learning Strategies to Use in the
Classroom

There are so many best practice strategies to consider when using the cooperative
learning approach in the classroom. Several strategies for teachers to use that
involve cooperative or group learning include pair-share, small groups (quads), and
mixed skill groupings.

One common strategy that teachers use is called pair-share. This can be easily
adapted into most classrooms by asking students to collaborate with an “elbow”
partner or person close by. Students can discuss a question or topic, and then share
with the whole class. Teachers often refer to this strategy as “think-pair-share”.

Teachers who plan cooperative lessons often use small groups or quads (groups of
4). Students are assigned roles within the group so that they can divide and conquer
the learning task at hand. For example, the reporter is responsible for sharing out the
new learnings of the task. Often quads are divided into mixed skill groups. This can
help students who struggle to have higher-level students mixed with lower-level
students so that peer learning and coaching is incorporated. All of the mentioned
techniques require planning and coordination on the part of the teacher.

When used in combination with individual learning assignments, cooperative learning


can enhance classroom instruction and make learning more social and fun for
students.

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