Cooperative learning

1. Cooperative learning What current research tells us

2. Research Revelations • Individual performance in cooperative learning is superior compared to competitive or individualistic methods.

3. Research Revelations • It promotes metacognitive thinking, persistence in working toward a goal, transfer of learning, time on task, and intrinsic motivation.

4. Research Revelations • Students scoring in the 50th percentile improve as much as up to 69th percentile.

5. Research Revelations • Students taught under the collaborative approach outperformed traditionally taught students in acquisition of design skills, communication skills, and teamwork skills.

6. Research Revelations • Affective outcomes also improved. Students exhibited better social skills and high self-esteem.

7. Research Revelations • It developed a more positive attitude in students towards their educational experience, the subject, and the school.

8. Implementing cooperative learning Five criteria: • Forming teams • Promoting positive interdependence • Providing individual accountability • Help students develop teamwork skills • General suggestions • You don’t have to implement all of these, only what you can reasonably handle.

9. Implementing cooperative learning Forming Teams • Form teams of 3~4 students • Make the teams heterogeneous in ability • If work must be done out of class, group people with similar schedules • Don’t group together people at risk of failure

10. Implementing cooperative learning Promoting positive interdependence • Assign different roles to each member (coordinator, recorder, checker, group monitor, etc.) • Use “jigsaw” to set up specialized expertise withing each team • Give bonus points on tests to groups that get good average test scores • If oral reporting is expected, select who from the group will report just before their turn.

11. Implementing cooperative learning Providing individual accountability • Give individual tests that cover all the material of group assignments and projects. • Make someone responsible in the team for making sure everyone else understands the assignment or project handed in • Make teams responsible for giving zeros to non-contributing members • Use peer ratings to adjust team assignment grades • Provide the option to fire or quit

12. Implementing cooperative learning Help students develop teamwork skills • Establish team policies and expectations • Keep groups intact for at least a month • Provide period assessment of team functioning • Give students tools for managing conflict • Hold crisis meetings to equip students to deal with difficult group members

13. Implementing cooperative learning General Suggestions • Start small and build • At the start of the course, explain your rationale for cooperative learning to students • Make team assignments more challenging than individual assignments • Don’t curve course grades • Conduct a midterm assessment to find out how students feel about group work • Expect initial resistance from students