Issue 5: Effective Cooperative Learning
Did you know?
Research shows merely being a member of a cooperative group is not sufficient to assure success.* Two conditions need to be met for group learning activities to be effective: (1) students must be working toward a common goal or reward, and (2) success at attaining this goal must be dependent upon the individual learning of each individual student.**
"There is probably nothing a teacher can do to raise achievement that is more effective than giving students access to each other and having students talk through the material they are learning." –Roger Johnson (of the University of Minnesota's Cooperative Learning Center)
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Although cooperative learning is a popular classroom approach, often it is not used effectively. Read on to find out about EFFECTIVE COOPERATIVE LEARNING STRATEGIES in the classroom.
Tips
Use a method called "The Power of One" to create positive interdependence in cooperative learning. "The Power of One" is based on the following principles:
ONE PRODUCT — Group members create one product or work toward a common goal: for example, one chart, one set of answers, one graphic organizer, one main idea.
ONE ROLE — To ensure individual accountability, assign each group member one role (roles may be rotated): for example, a recorder, a materials person, an illustrator, a spokesperson.
ONE MATERIAL — To make working together a necessity, limit each group's material resources: for example, one pair of scissors, one sheet of paper, one pencil, one microscope.
ONE SPACE — Group members share one space by removing empty chairs or spaces between them and forming a circle with their chairs around one desk (or other small work space).
Through "The Power of One," you can structure group work so that positive interdependence is present. This method is based on the PLS graduate course ACHIEVING STUDENT OUTCOMES THROUGH COOPERATIVE LEARNING™.
Sample Cooperative Activity — Social Studies
To open a class discussion on the role of American women in World War II (after reading about the period): Divide the class into groups of three, and explain that each student will take a turn as the recorder. Instruct the first recorder in each group to make a chart by folding a piece of paper into thirds and labeling the columns "before," "during," and "after." First, have the groups brainstorm as many occupations as they can think of that were typical for women in America before World War II; have the first recorder in each group write these occupations in the first column. Then have each group brainstorm all the new occupations held by American women during the war, while a second recorder lists these occupations in the second column, and so on. Once all the columns are filled and everyone has had a chance to be the recorder, have students identify several changes that occurred in women's roles in America during the 1940s. (One Product: one chart. One Role: one recorder at a time. One Material: one piece of paper and one pen. One Space: group sits together in a circle.)
Sample Cooperative Activity — Math
To begin a lesson on the value of pi: Divide your students into pairs, and give each pair a piece of string and a ruler. Instruct pairs to walk around the classroom and measure the circumferences and diameters of suitable round objects, such as jars, clocks, and pots. One student will do the actual measuring while the other records the measurements. Have the students in each pair work together to divide the circumference of each circle by its diameter and write their answers one the board. Let the class observe that every one of their answers is approximately 3.14 (pi). Have students in each pair switch roles as measurer and recorder as they go around the room a second time. This time, have students measure the diameters of objects and calculate what the circumferences are by using the formula C (circumference) = Pi (3.14) x D (diameter). Again, have students finish by writing their data on the board. (One Product: the value of pi. One Role: one measurer, one recorder. One Material: one piece of string, one ruler, one pencil, one piece of paper. One Space: students must stay with partners in order to complete the task; though moving, they share the same space.)
The above activities are based on Learning Styles in the High School Classroom, a follow-up module to PLS's online Learning Styles for Educators course.
References:
*V. Battistich, D. Solomon, & K. Delucchi (1994). Interaction processes and student outcomes in cooperative learning groups. The Elementary School Journal, 94, 1 , 19-32.
**D. Mesch, D.W. Johnson, R.T. Johnson (1988). Impact of positive interdependence and academic group contingencies on achievement. Journal of Social Psychology, 128, , 345-352.
**R.M. Mattingly & R.L. VanSickle (1991). Cooperative learning and achievement in social studies: Jigsaw II. Social Education, 55, , 392-395.
**R.E. Slavin (1983). Cooperative Learning. New York: Longman.
**R.E. Slavin (1987). Cooperative learning: Where behavioral and humanistic approaches to classroom motivation meet. The Elementary School Journal, 88, 1 , 29-37.
**R.E. Slavin (1988). Cooperative learning, and student achievement. Educational Leadership, 46, 2 , 31-33.
**R.E. Slavin In R. Hertz-Lazarowitz & N. Miller (1992). Cooperative processes that influence achievement. Interaction in cooperative groups: The theoretical anatomy of group learning, .
Related Graduate Course
Achieving Student Outcomes Through Cooperative Learning™
Become proficient in the skills of setting up, monitoring, and debriefing group learning while teaching interpersonal skills. Develop quick cooperative learning starters that immediately involve students in specific learning tasks.
Achieving Student Outcomes Through Cooperative Learning®
