Cooperative Learning

Cooperative learning gives students the opportunity to teach each other. The traditional teacher to student relationship shifts to student to student. The teacher's role is that of facilitator. He or she organizes the learning activities, assists students in learning necessary skills for effective cooperative learning and evaluates progress.

Providing students with a variety of learning activities in varying group situations promotes appreciation and respect for diversity and encourages students to form relationships with many different classmates. Being in a supportive group allows students to contribute and participate at their own level. As they work together to meet shared goals, students develop responsibility and effective communication skills. To promote cooperation, students should be graded on the basis of the group's success as well as their individual contribution.

While there are some drawbacks to cooperative learning, there are many ways to overcome some of the potential weaknesses. There are also numerous books and workshops available to teachers who wish to refine their skills in using this approach that will help them overcome barriers. There are dozens of different cooperative learning strategies. The following basic cooperative learning strategies provide examples for teachers using this approach.

Think-Pair-Share
Three-Step Interview
Numbered Heads
Jigsaw
Cooperative Carousel
Inside-Outside Circle

Johnson’s Five Basic Elements of Effective Group Work

Think-Pair-Share

This method provides students with time to think about a question or situation individually, then talk about it with a partner and finally discuss it with the whole class. This strategy increases cognitive and social problem-solving skills because it helps students verbalize their thinking.

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Three-Step Interview

In pairs, have students ask each other questions on an assigned topic. They should reverse roles and then join with another pair to share all of their questions and answers. This strategy allows students the opportunity to contribute to the group, to work with others and to initiate and answer questions in a non-threatening environment.

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Numbered Heads

In groups of four, students number from 1 to 4 within their group. The teacher poses a problem and all four students consult on the answer. The teacher then calls a number from 1 to 4 and a student from each group with that number stands. One (or more) of those standing are selected randomly to give the answers aloud. Answers can be written on the board, in notebooks or simply verbalized. This strategy requires that all group members be ready to respond to any given question. The strategy increases individual responsibility and creates a team feeling among students. It is a good method to test for general understanding of a reading, film or lecture or as a way to review for a test. Note: this activity is not meant to be competitive.

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Jigsaw

This is a more advanced cooperative learning strategy; however, when properly executed it produces significant results. In a jigsaw students are members of two different groups: a HOME group and an EXPERT group. The HOME group consists of three to five students (each is numbered 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5). Each person in the HOME group is ultimately responsible for learning and teaching a different topic to other members of that group. EXPERT groups comprise of three to four students who are responsible for the same topic. The overall topic to be studied is divided into as many sections as there are members in the HOME group.

The first step is for students to become individually familiar with their own "expert" topic. Second, they meet with the EXPERT group to double check their understandings and to create a plan for teaching their own HOME groups. After meeting and planning with the expert group, students return HOME to take turns teaching each other the material. All "expert" input is required to successfully complete the group project. At the end of teaching, an evaluation can be given to test for understanding.

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Cooperative Carousel

Use this activity to help students brainstorm ideas that answer questions or contribute ideas. Do this by posting flip chart papers onto each wall in the classroom. Write a different question or word stimulus on each chart.

Divide the whole group into four smaller groups of four or five (if the whole group is large, consider setting up two different sets of independent stations). Station one group at each poster and provide them with several felt pens. (Like a shot-gun start in a golf tournament).

The task is for each of the four groups (each stationed at a different chart) to brainstorm ideas that focus on each question or word stimulus. Begin by writing the group members' ideas on the first chart. Allow one minute at each station, then ask each group to rotate to the next station (clockwise) and continue to add their group members' ideas to the list that was previously started. Ask participants to only add new ideas to the list begun by the previous group.

Debrief this activity by rotating all the groups around the room again. This allows them to see the ideas that were added since their group was at that station. On the second rotation ask each group to put a star beside a good idea that was added to the list by another group.

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Inside-Outside Circle

Divide the class in two. Have students form two circles of the same number of students. One group forms a circle facing outward; the other group forms a circle around these students facing inward. (If the class is large, do two Inside-Outside circles.) Each student should now be facing a partner. At the teachers’ signal, the student on the outside shares with his/her partner shares a response to the teachers’ question. Then, the student on the inside shares. At the teacher’s signal, the outside circle rotates one person in a clockwise direction and then shares with the new partner. Do this about three times. There will be plenty of talk and laughter and students will quickly review or identify the information that the teacher asked for.

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Johnson’s Five Basic Elements of Effective Group Work

1. Individual Accountability
   • Each student is responsible for their own learning
2. Face to Face Interaction
   • Groups of two to four and facing each other
   • rearrange the room if necessary
3. Collaborative Skills (skills embedded into the group work process that may need to be taught overtly)
   • social skills
   • communication skills
   • critical thinking skills
4. Processing
   • the need to reflect and assess on the group’s effort—
   academically and socially
   • needed for development over time
5. Positive Interdependence
   • students are supportive of each other’s learning
   • needs to be taught
   • Johnson identifies nine ways to encourage this

Bennett, Barrie and Rolheiser, Carol. Beyond Monet: the artful science of instructional integration. Toronto: Bookation, [2001]. (pg 151–155)

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