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Learning
With Others
By: Ashley
Bartee
06/14/07
Cooperative
Learning
What is it?
Why use it?
What do groups
accomplish?
How should you
make the groups?
The rules
Rewards
Why use it with
math?
Models of cooperative
learning
It Takes
Thought
Productive groups
in the classroom rarely happen spontaneously; simply placing students
together and giving them an assignment is not enough.
What is
Cooperative Learning?
a relationship
in a group of students that requires positive interdependence, individual
accountability, interpersonal skills, face-to-face interaction, and
processing
is more elaborate
than group work activity
Why use
Cooperative Learning?
Research has shown that
cooperative learning techniques:
promote student
learning and academic achievement
increase student
retention
enhance student
satisfaction with their learning experience
Why use
Cooperative Learning?
Research has shown that
cooperative learning techniques:
help students
develop skills in oral communication
develop students'
social skills
promote student
self-esteem
help to promote
positive race relations
What Do
Groups Accomplish?
challenge each
other's thinking and skills
If the classroom
is made up of diverse students, the only way that acceptance of differences
will take place is to meet and interact with one another in cooperatively
structured relationships.
Making the
Groups
depends on the
task, on the students themselves, the history of the students, and other
factors
traditional "chose
your own groups" usually turns out to have students who are very
much like each other with the same strengths and the same weaknesses
and they often finish the assignment as quickly as they can with as
little thought as possible
variety and changing
the groups often so that students realize that they will eventually
work with everyone in the room
The setup
classroom and
desk set up
The facing each
other
students
may or may not have specific roles
distributing
materials
Heterogeneous
or Homogeneous
The size of the
groups should be kept between two to four students
The teacher has
to decide whether the groups are heterogeneous or homogenous in ability
Homogenous groups
are useful when working on a specific skill, procedure, or set of facts
Heterogeneous
groups are most appropriate with problem solving tasks and learning
how to communicate mathematically
What kind
of activities work?
Division of Labor
method of doing a group project works OK but sometimes people concentrate
only on their part of the assignment and don't learn the rest. Adding
a "Jigsaw" component where they teach each other their parts
so that everyone has a good idea what is said in the whole document
helps
The Rules
Every member
of each group is responsible for all work.
If there is a
disagreement, form a consensus, not a majority rule. Be constructive.
Be open to other
members' ideas and encourage their participation. Make sure no one is
left out.
Every day one
member of each group is designated as the facilitator. The facilitator
is not in charge of the group, but simply keeps the group organized
on a particular day.
Four Conditions
Two to six members
in a group
Students mutually
and positively depend on one another and on the group00 work as a
whole
Offers all members
of the group an equal opportunity to interact with one another
Each member of
the group has a responsibility
Rewards
in order for
a cooperative learning environment to be most effective, there needs
to be group rewards along with individual accountability
When each individual
succeeds in their group, the group is rewarded; this prevents certain
students from dominating the work
Group Goals
The groups should
be interdependent, working together to accomplish a common product.
If the students
are not sharing ideas and strategies, they are missing the intellectual
growth that can come from it.
Relying on the
skills of one group member or allowing one or two people to dominate
the group's activity does not result in greater understanding for all.
Personal
Rewards
Assignments should
be structured so each member accomplishes a specific task.
Try to provide
opportunities for every group member to make a unique contribution.
One or two active
members should not complete all the work while passive members sit back
and watch.
Random Reporting
One method of
ensuring all students are working
The teacher randomly
picks a group member to present the group00 finding to the class
Each group member
must understand their group work in case they are called on to present
Enables every
student to communicate their ideas and be accountable for the work
Why in the
Math Classroom?
cooperative learning
promotes higher achievement in math class than do competitive and individualistic
efforts
Mathematical
concepts and skills are best learned as part of a dynamic process with
active engagement on the part of the students
problem solving
is an interpersonal device
Why in the
Math Classroom?
learning groups
have to be structured cooperatively
students gain
confidence in their individual math abilities
The choice of
what math courses to take and what careers to consider is heavily influenced
by peers
CAN COOPERATIVE LEARNING BE USED IN EARLY CHILDHOOD CLASSES?
learn to share
take turns
show caring behaviors
for others
cooperative learning
activities improve children's relationships with peers, especially those
of different social and ethnic groups.
Models of
Cooperative Learning
Jigsaw
Group Investigation
Numbered Heads
Together
Think-Pair-Share
Jigsaw
student becomes
a member of both a learning group and a research team
After determining
the learning group's goal, the members join research teams to learn
about a particular piece of the learning puzzle
Each puzzle piece
must be solved to form a complete picture
the members return
to their original learning groups and share the results
Class discussion
Group Investigation
more student-directed
in its approach
students discuss
what they have learned and outline possible topics for further examination
each learning
group chooses one and determines subtopics for each group member or
team
Each student
or group of students is responsible for researching his or her individual
piece and preparing a brief report to bring back to the group
The group then
designs a presentation and shares its findings with the entire class..
Numbered
Heads Together
a way of reviewing
information that has been previously presented through direct instruction
or text
works well with
unambiguous questions that allow students to easily come to consensus
Divide the students
into groups of 4 and have them number off from 1 to 4
the groups huddle
to determine the answer
The teacher
calls a number and the students with that number raise their hands to
respond
have the others
agree or disagree
Think-Pair-Share
Encourages a
responses from all students
Students pair
with a partner to share their responses to a question
Students are
then invited to share their responses with the whole class
Stand Up
and Share
"quick whip"
through
Resources
Helping and Getting
Help00ssential Skills for Effective Group Problem Solving by S. Farivar
in Arithmetic Teacher 41 (May 1994): 521-25.
Step into Problem
Solving with Cooperative Learning by L. Rosenbaum in Arithmetic Teacher
36 (March 1989): 7-11.
Building a math
community. Author: Sanzeni, Becky R. Source: Teaching PreK-8 v.
30 no4 (Jan. 2000) p. 38-41
Investigating
mathematics as a community of learners by H. S. Drier in Teaching
Children Mathematics (Feb. 2000):358-63.
Resources
Bol, Linda, Nunnery,
John A., and Whicker, Kristina M. 00ooperative Learning in the secondary
mathematics classroom.00The Journal of Educational Research.
Sept./Oct. 1997. (p. 42-8).
Leiken, Roza,
and Zaslavsky, Orit. 00ooperative Learning in Mathematics.00Mathematics
Teacher. March
1999. (p. 240-6).
Lew, Marvin and
Mesch, Debra. 00solated Teenagers, Cooperative Leanring, and the Training
of Social Skills.00The Journal of Psychology. (p. 323-333).
Johnson, David
W., and Johnson, Roger T. 00sing Cooperative Learning in Math00
Teaching and Learning Middle Grade Mathematics.-Student Resource
CD. Key College Publishing. 2004.
Resources
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