Download Cooperative Learning

Cooperative Learning
Bobbie M. Allen
Education Studies Program
Overview
• Research Review: Cooperative Learning
• Differences between Traditional and
Cooperative Learning Groups
• The 5 Underlying Principles of CL
• Social Skills Acquisition
• Cooperative Learning Activity
• Inclusion Strategies
• Reflections
Research Review
• Higher achievement
• Increased intention
• Greater use of higher
level of reasoning
• Greater intrinsic
motivation
• More positive
heterogeneous
relationships
• Better attitudes toward
school
Research Review
• Better attitudes toward
teachers
• Higher self-esteem
• Greater social support
• More on-task behavior
• Greater collaborative
skills
Learning Groups
Traditional
Cooperative
• No interdependence
• Homogeneous
• No individual
accountability
• One appointed leader
• Responsibility only for
self
• Positive
Interdependence
• Heterogeneous
• Individual accountability
• Shared leadership
• Shared responsibility
for each other
Learning Groups
Traditional
Cooperative
•
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• Task and maintenance
emphasized
• Social skills directly
taught
• Teacher observes and
intervenes
• Group process their
effectiveness
•
•
Only task emphasized
Social skills assumed
and ignored
Teacher ignores or
assumes group
functioning
No group processing.
The Five Underlying Principles
1. Distributed leadership
– Cooperative learning is based on the belief that all
students are capable of understanding and
learning and performing the tasks.
– Evidence and research show that when all group
members are expected to be involved and are
given leader responsibilities, we increase the
likelihood that each member will be an active
participant who is able to initiate leadership when
appropriate.
The Five Underlying Principles
2. Heterogeneous Grouping
– CL is based on the belief that the most effective
student groups are those which are
heterogeneous.
– Groups which include students who have different
social backgrounds, skill levels, physical
capabilities, and/or gender mirror the real word of
encountering, accepting, appreciating and
celebrating differences.
The Five Underlying Principles
3. Positive Interdependence
– CL is based on the belief that students need to
learn and recognize and value their dependence
upon one another.
– Students who have lots of practice individually to
complete their assignments or competitively to do
better than their peers are often not eager to work
with others.
– Incorporating positive interdependence increases
the likelihood that student will work cooperatively.
The Five Underlying Principles
Positive Interdependence is created when a
teacher employs one or more of these
strategies:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Group accountability
Individual accountability
Materials must be shared
Group members create one group product
The is a group “reward’ which each group can earn
and which is the same for all group members
The Five Underlying Principles
4. Social Skills Acquisition
–
CL is based on the belief that the ability to work
effectively in a group is determined by the
acquisition of specific social skills.
–
These social skills can be taught and can be
learned (Task and Maintenance)
The Five Underlying Principles
5. Group Autonomy
•
Cooperative learning is based on the belief that
student groups are more likely to attempt
resolution of their problems if they are not
“rescued” from these problems by their teacher.
•
When students resolve their problems with
minimum teacher input, they become more
autonomous and self-sufficient.
Task Skills:
To Achieve the Task
Lower Elementary
Upper Elementary
• Check others’ understanding
of the work
• Give ideas
• Talk about the work
• Get group back to work
• Follow directions
• Ask questions
• Stay in Seat
• Repeat what was said
• Check others’ understanding
of the work
• Contribute ideas
• Stay on task
• Get group back to work
• Follow directions
• Ask thoughtful questions
• Stay in seat
• Paraphrase
Maintenance Skills
Assist in maintaining positive working
relationships within the group
Lower Elementary
Upper elementary
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•
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•
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Encourage
Use names
Invite others to talk
Respond to idea
Look at each other
Say “thank you”
Share feelings
Disagree inn a nice way
Keep things calm
Encourage
Use names
Encourage others to talk
Respond to ideas
Use eye contact
Show appreciation
Share feelings
Disagree in an agreeable
way
• Keep things calm
How to Work
Cooperatively in Groups
Lower Elementary
•
•
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Smile, be friendly and introduce yourself
Sit properly
Look at the person talking
Listen
Take turns
Be helpful and nice
Work out problems on your own
Follow directions and stay on task
How to Work
Cooperatively in Groups
Upper Elementary
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Smile, be friendly and introduce yourself
Arrange desks properly
Use positive body language
Use eye contact
Listen to others
Take turns giving ideas
Use positive comments
Be helpful
Disagree in an agreeable way
Follow directions and stay on task.
Listening
Looks Like
Sounds like
Feels like
Social Skills Acquisition
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•
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Explicitly teach the specific social skill
Create a class rubric further defining skill
Practice the skill
Observe the skill
Debrief
Student self evaluation
Group evaluation
Monitor and Graph Progress
Cooperative Learning
Activity
Going Camping
• Rank 1-10 Most important to least
• Discuss with group members
• Rank again
• Group must reach consensus
• Check rankings with Expert Rankings
Challenging Children
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Explosive
Compulsive
ADD or ADHD
Deaf
Blind
Autistic
Dyslexic
Inclusion Strategies
• Value student choice, control and interaction
and building community in the classroom
• Social interactions and problem solving
within the group is critical for social skills
acquisition
• Ally with the student(s)
• Identify strengths and weaknesses
• Identify positive and negative behaviors
• Observe and document over time. Identify
patterns that may emerge.
Inclusion Strategies
• Categorize the behaviors for explosive
children :
– Basket A (ALERT--safety issues; likelihood of
meltdown for explosive; authority figure
recognized)
– Basket B (Behaviors that are important, but will not
induce meltdown; child learns to think and work out
problems)
– Basket C (Can wait)
Inclusion Strategies
• Set clearly defined expectations, be
consistent, follow through and be fair
(individual & group)
• Discuss feelings and provide strategies of
how to resolve problems (individual & group)
• Be a positive model of language and
communication--Use the “I”message rather
“you” I don’t like when…….
Inclusion Strategies
• Social conference with individual child
• Children need to recognize own behavior and accept
“logical” consequences
• Offer ways of supporting the child through difficult
moments--What can I do to help you to
remember…..physical cue, facial expression,
auditory cue
• Guide student choices and decisions; avoid power
struggles
Inclusion Strategies
• Often behaviors are exhibited by other children, not
just the “special education” child; conduct group
meetings (Morning Meeting)
• Community of learners need to recognize individuals
have different needs and can resolve conflicts
together
• Work “with” rather than “act on” children (empower
and provide a voice)
Inclusion Strategies
• Involve other professionals when possible
• Labels tend to follow a child throughout the school
years
• Establish a positive rapport with the family--report
the positive, not always the negative.
• Involve families whenever possible
Reflection
Language
• How we structure our language helps children to
understand the reality of their feelings.
• We can help them become proficient
communicators, understand their feelings, engage
them in cooperation, and help them to understand
the level of their skills and what they need to
advance without wounding.
• We can also be models for respectful conflict
resolution through communication
Reflection
Engaging Curriculum
• It is impossible to expect the students in a classroom
to become independent learners when the curriculum
we are expecting them to master lacks challenge,
interest or relevance.
• Students who are bored, frustrated or see no point in
what they are doing will quickly act out.
• It is often the brightest students who are the most
challenging to their teachers, as they seem driven to
keep their active minds engaged
Reflection
Development of a strong supportive community
• Students need to know that all the integral parts
of a supportive learning community with clearly
defined rules of conduct and attitude.
• A large part of this sense of community is the
development of empathy--having an
understanding that others have the same sorts of
feelings that you do and that an individual’s
actions have impacts, either positive or negative
on other members of the community.
• Students must be part of the decision making
about what the expectations for conduct and
attitude are
Reflection
Teacher’s Role as Model
• The teacher plays a critical role in the development
of attitudes through modeling and guiding students
by using the same skills and behaviors they expect
of the children.
• Consistency and clearly communicated expectations
are vital in that they give students clearly defined
boundaries that guide their decisions and choices.
Questions?
Comments?
Contact me at
[email protected]