1. Cooperative Learning What is it?

2. Classroom Structures • Win-lose struggle…competition among peers • Work independently of peers…individualism • Work cooperatively in small groups…cooperation

3. Cooperative Learning • Working together to accomplish shared goals • Outcomes beneficial to themselves and group members • “Cooperative Learning is the instructional use of small groups that allows students to work together to maximize their own and each other’s learning.” (ACSD website)

4. Five Essential Components 1. Positive Interdependence • Linked together, all for one, one for all attitude. • I cannot succeed unless you succeed • Together we stand, divided we fall. • Motto of the American Revolution

5. Components cont. 2. Promotive Interaction • Students promote other’s success by helping, assisting, supporting encouraging, and praising each other’s efforts to learn. • Oral explanation of problems, discussing concepts, teaching to each other, connecting present and past learning

6. Components cont. 3. Individual Accountability • Learn together to perform better as an individual • Ensures that group members know who needs more assistance, support and encouragement in completing tasks.

7. Components cont. 4. Interpersonal and small group skills • Task work academic work…and small group skills teamwork. • More complex then competitive or individualistic learning • Leadership, decision making, trust-building, communication, and conflict management must be taught as well as academic learning

8. Components cont. 5. Group Processing • Group members discuss how well their achieving goals and maintaining effective working relationships. • What’s helpful or hurtful in group setting.

9. Teaching Cooperative Skills • “How to manage conflicts?” • Cooperation and conflict go hand in hand…? • Group members that care about group goals, and care about each other will encounter conflicts. • Conflicts handled correctly can add fun, creativity, higher-level reasoning. Flip side is anger, frustration, and hostility

10. Cooperative Skills Controversy • Peer mediation • All students are taught how to negotiate solutions to their conflict • Academic controversy • Students challenge each other’s intellectual reasoning with their own…argue the different sides.

11. Gaining Experience using Cooperative Learning • Knowledge about how to do something is not a skill…Being able to do something well is a skill. • Time and effort to develop • “Nothing new that is really interesting comes without collaboration” James Watson Nobel Prize winner • Aristotle “For things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.”