Cooperative learning is one of the strategies that you can use in a class of any size. Sometimes,
people think that in large classes you can't use cooperative learning because so many students,
so little space, how would you do that? But there are ways to position things in large
classes to use the principle of cooperative learning. Some of the principles or prime
qualities of cooperative learning are things like positive interdependence, face-to-face
interaction, individual accountability, social skills, and group processing. Most research
would indicate that heterogeneous groups are best for cooperative learning. The more varied
the group is, the more varied the opinions and the greater the learning the students
actually receive when they're in those groups. There are two main tasks in cooperative learning.
One is to get the job done and the other is to maintain the integrity of the group so
the group really gets to work well together. I'd like to go back to the five key qualities
of cooperative learning. The first one I mentioned is positive interdependence. You know how
it is in Saskatchewan in the winter when there is a snowstorm and everyone comes out and
you can see people helping one another shoveling cars out or get people unstuck. That's an
example of interdependence. We need the help of others to help us with big jobs. And in
cooperative learning, if there is not an authentic reason for students to work together, there
is no reason to have a group. So when you are structuring a cooperative learning activity
in your class, you want to make sure there's either shared resources or something where
people bring expertise from different directions together in one place, split up a task into
smaller groups. The jigsaw teaching method works really well with this so that each student
has a piece of the information - they get to be an expert and then they bring it back
to the group. But I do want to stress, if there is no reason for students to work together
in a group, please don't use a group project. It just doesn't make any sense. The second
key quality of cooperative learning is face-to-face interaction. Now, this can be done virtually
or in person, but please, when groups are setting up, make sure that everybody can see
everyone else's face. That is so important for getting the job done and for maintaining
the integrity of the group. Because if students aren't able to see one another, you know how
it is. When you're sitting around a table, if you can't see the person next to you, it's
harder to talk to them or cross the table from you is being blocked. So make sure that
the groups are set up in such a way that students can see one another. You know, one of the
things people say with cooperative learning or group learning - and, just to be clear,
cooperative learning and small group learning are not the same. But one of the things people
will say to me is that students won't get in there and do their bit. They'll leave it
to someone else and someone will carry all the weight and someone else will not carry
their weight. Well, there are ways to build in accountability for the individual and for
the group for every single level in a cooperative learning activity. So when we talk about cooperative
learning and individual accountability, there are some really good strategies that we can
help you to put in place in your class. The fourth item of the key qualities are the social
skills that students get an opportunity to learn about or highlight and also to practice.
And these can be things like showing leadership skills in a group or keeping track of time,
or divvying up tasks or providing encouragement, but they're the social things that we need
to do to keep group work functioning well. And you'll know that from work on any team
there's some thing that certain skills will help you get a job done more effectively and
efficiently and maintain the integrity of the group than some other skills. So cooperative
learning, there's the information about the task that needs to be done - the content - but
there are also process skills or social skills that need to be taught, observed, and reflected
upon. The fifth key quality of cooperative learning are the group processing skills and
this has been absolutely amazing. I know when I first started with cooperative learning,
I thought students won't want to talk about what happened in their group. Well, contrary
to my belief is yes, they did, for the most part, anyway. And if you provide a good format
for people to reflect on how they worked in that group, it can be very beneficial to helping
social skills develop in a good way and to getting the task done because every group
really wants to do the very best they can on a task that is meaningful and engaging.
So that's the quick run-down of cooperative learning. It is a strategy that can be used
with lots of other teaching strategies as well, but mostly it is a mind frame that you
believe that people can, together, solve problems or learn in a way that they might even learn
better than if they were on their own. So, if you believe that, as an instructor, that
students have the ability and the capability and the interest in working together, then
cooperative learning might be for you. Just - ah! - I wish I could bring you into a classroom
right now where you can see what happens when students are working together on something
that is engaging and meaningful to them in a way that is set up cooperatively because
the buzz of energy and the projects that they come up with are amazing. Please, give me
a call or send me an email if you are interested in talking about cooperative learning. I'd
be happy to coach you in getting this set up in your classroom with your students.