Cooperative learning can be a powerful tool for energizing a classroom, motivating students, and raising achievement. The TpT Blog You will receive your score and answers at the end. English, science, history, and more. To introduce Recharge and Write, place a tall cup or a can in the middle of each team, and ask all team members to place their pencils into the container. Aspects of cooperative learning have been part of education for a long time; some form of cooperation has always been necessary to participate on school sports teams, for example, or to produce a student-run school newspaper. I’m grateful for the extensive cooperative learning training I received from Kagan, but I’ll be the first to admit that it wasn’t easy at first.   Â. This situation is easily prevented if you take steps at the beginning of the school year to create a caring classroom environment. Working together involves taking turns, listening to each other, giving suggestions politely, and a host of other social skills. If you didn’t start the year this way, don’t worry. Students should work with the same student during the entire school year. Â. Do your students lack the social skills needed to work together? Then try again the next day. DIRECTIONS: Each of the multiple-choice questions that follow is based on Praxis-related pedagogical knowledge in chapter 11. Locate and read books on the use of cooperative learning such as William Glasser's Control Theory in the Classroom (1986, New York: Perennial Library Press) or Roger Johnson's Circles of Learning (1985, available from the Cooperative Learning Center of the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN). “Keep your eyes on your paper.”. Sometimes the brightest students end up being tutors for kids who struggle, a practice that will squelch the academic growth of your most advanced students. During Showdown, each student has a dry erase board and marker, and they solve every problem independently before showing and discussing answers with their team. Cooperative Learning SOS: 5 Questions to Ask When Cooperative Learning Isn’t Working, Exploring Poetry: Tools for Teaching Kids to Read and Understand Poetry, 10 Tips for Behavior Management With Humor, The Heart Garden: Character Education With Heart, How To Boost Accountability in a Workshop Classroom, Why I Went Back to Teaching (Even When I Had a Million Reasons Not to), Exploring Poetry: Teaching Kids to Read and Understand Poetry, Multiple Intelligence Theory for Kids: Lessons, Printables, and Posters. Create a T-chart like the “Working Together Skills” chart shown here. Those tips will help with classroom management, but they don’t address the heart of the problem, which is that your students don’t have the skills needed to work together. 1731 Words 7 Pages. Some of the topics you'll be quizzed on include a description of cooperative learning as well an example of a cooperative learning strategy. I discovered my error during the first quarter benchmark test, when my students performed poorly. Others sit back passively, never participating in discussions, just waiting for others to tell them what to do. It was not an advantageous individual here and there who did so, but the group. Students should work with the same students for two months. The first leader reads the first question aloud, and everyone discusses the answer. It always amazes me how quickly students fill up the middle of the Venn Diagram with details that are the same about both of them! - Words & Rule, What is the Plot of a Story? Cooperative Groups in Class - Pose a question to be worked on in each cooperative group and then circulate around the room answering questions, asking further questions, keeping the groups on task, and so forth.. After an appropriate time for group discussion, students are asked to share their discussion points with the rest of the class. Laura is the author of nine print books, including five cooperative learning books published by Kagan. The task can be as simple as solving a multi-step math problem together, or as complex as developing a design for a new kind of school. Just as in a jigsaw puzzle, each piece--each student's part--is essential for the completion and full understanding of the final product. The idea of cooperative learning has been around for decades, but it never got to the same prominence as blended learning or differentiated instruction. Each member that is in the group is responsible for learning the information given, and also for helping their fellow group members learn the information as well. I began using more strategies like Showdown and Recharge & Write that required students to participate actively. I also started ending each lesson with a quick quiz, an exit ticket assignment, a journal response, or some of type of independent work or homework. Write both of their names on one Venn diagram, hand out the graphic organizers, and ask partners to sit together. Sharan (2010) describes the constant evolution of cooperative learning as a threat. As you can tell, I’m a huge fan of cooperative learning! There are so many best practice strategies to consider when using the cooperative learning approach in the classroom. Cooperative Learning 10 Questions | By Sandyeshaw | Last updated: Jan 24, 2013 | Total Attempts: 790 Questions All questions 5 questions 6 questions 7 questions 8 questions 9 questions 10 questions Maybe you’ve tried cooperative learning in your classroom and you’ve been frustrated when the lesson didn’t go as planned. Cooperative Learning has many limitations that could cause the process to be more complicated than first perceived. Here are the top 10 structures that I love to use in my classroom. 2. If this isn’t the problem, it might be that you’re giving too many instructions at once. Cooperative learning is so effective because it is structured, creates a classroom community, is a sustained approach, enhances students’ communication skills, encourages a growth mindset, balances interdependence with individual accountability, and responds to classroom diversity. At this time students look up at the board, listen to the teacher, take notes and participate in whole-class discussions. - Strategies, Benefits & Definition, {{courseNav.course.mDynamicIntFields.lessonCount}}, Instructional Strategies: Hands-On, Interactive, Expository & Collaborative, Direct Instruction & Discovery Instruction: Definition & Differences, Differentiated Instruction: Adapting the Learning Environment for Students, Advance Organizers in the Classroom: Teaching Strategies & Advantages, Cooperative and Collaborative Learning in the Classroom, Collaborative Skills: Definition & Explanation, Latent Function of Education: Definition & Examples, What is a Teacher Leader? {{courseNav.course.mDynamicIntFields.lessonCount}} lessons Honestly, I can’t imagine teaching any other way! Sometimes it’s necessary to divide teams of four into two sets of partners for an activity to be sure everyone is highly engaged. It’s also helpful to write the directions on the board, a chart, or an interactive whiteboard. Students should never work with the same student during the entire school year. Cooperative Learning Strategies to Use in the Classroom. Doing a few team-building activities during the first week of school help kids warm up to each other and yields big dividends later. Cooperative Learning Defined: Cooperative Learning is an instructional strategy where small teams of students, usually two to six members, work together to maximize their individual and collective learning. Cooperative Learning has been proven to be effective for all types of students, including academically gifted, mainstream students and English language learners (ELLs) because it promotes learning and fosters respect and friendships among diverse groups of students. When students don’t treat each other with respect, it could be a sign that they don’t feel personally connected to their classmates. Remember that most kids need a lot of support when first learning how to work with others. Questions On Cooperative Learning Strategies. Cooperative learning is an instructional strategy that enables small groups of students to work together on a common assignment. To tackle this issue, start teaching weekly social skill lessons, beginning with the social skill that your students need the most. How are kids going to learn to work together if we don’t teach them?”. If you respond “yes” to any of them, read my suggestions and try the strategies that you think will work best with your class. Cooperative learning is a teaching strategy classroom teachers use to help their students process information more quickly by having them work in small groups to accomplish a common goal. I realized that they had spent so much time working together that they didn’t know how to work alone! The solution might be a simple as teaching a few social skill lessons, learning to give directions in bite-sized chunks, or taking 10 minutes once a week to do a team-building activity. Services, Problem-Based Learning: Examples, Theory & Definition, Quiz & Worksheet - Cooperative Learning Strategies, Organizing and structuring groups for maximum benefit to students, Situations where one student does all the work, Allowing students to choose which tasks they are responsible for, Very little structure from the teacher and more structure from students, What Is Cooperative Learning in the Classroom? Students should work with the same students for one month. 2. 1. - Definition & Characteristics, Activities for Integrating Math & Science in the Classroom, Affective Education: Definition and Examples, Applying the Cloze Procedure to Reading Passages, Assistive Technology in the Classroom: Types & Uses, Bell-Ringer Activities for English Teachers, Bell-Ringer Activities for Social Studies, Benefits of Collaboration in the Classroom, Benefits of Parent Volunteers in the Classroom, Dealing with Difficult Parents as a Teacher, Brain-Based Teaching Strategies for the Digital Age, Building Community in the Classroom: Ideas & Activities, Building Community in the Classroom: Strategies and Activities, Check for Understanding: Strategies and Activities, Cinco De Mayo: Classroom Activities and Vocabulary, Class Discussion Rubric Ideas for Teachers, Collaborative Team Teaching Models & Strategies, Critical Thinking Math Problems: Examples and Activities, Teaching Independent & Dependent Variables, Effective Questioning Techniques in the Classroom, Group Discussion: Questions, Topics and Activities, How to Use Movie Making Apps in the Classroom, KWL Chart: Example Graphic Organizer and Classroom Applications, Research Paper Activities for Middle School, Social Emotional Learning Activities for the Classroom, Study Skills for College Success: Activities & Ideas, Teaching Digital Literacy in the Classroom, Teaching Sequence of Events: Activities and Games, Token Economy in the Classroom: Definition & Examples, Using SMART Goals with Students: Types & Examples, Using Student Journals Effectively in the Classroom, Problem-Based Learning: Ideas, Activities & Projects, What is Guided Reading? Assign partners in advance by secretly pairing students who don’t get along very well. If your students lack these skills, stick to partner activities for now because working with one person is much easier than working with a team. Start right with something as simple as the Buddy Venn Diagram activity, one of the teambuilding activities in my Back to School Super Start Pack. - Benefits & Programs, Using Positive Discipline in the Classroom, Keeping & Using Parent-Teacher Communication Logs, Teaching Life Skills to High School Students, Teaching Leadership to High School Students, The Brothers Grimm: Biographies & Fairy Tales, History and Educational Aims: Tutoring Solution, Developmental Psychology in Children and Adolescents: Tutoring Solution, Motivation in Learning: Tutoring Solution, Assessments of Learning: Tutoring Solution, Cognitive Perspective in Psychology: Tutoring Solution, Behavioral Perspective in Psychology: Tutoring Solution, Research Design and Analysis: Tutoring Solution, Individual Differences in Children: Tutoring Solution, Working Scholars® Bringing Tuition-Free College to the Community, Assigning numbers to each cooperative group member, Example of a cooperative learning strategy, Relate at least three benefits of cooperative learning, Tell at least one strategy for assigning groups in a cooperative learning environment, Detail at least one strategy for making assignments in a cooperative learning environment. Cooperative learning uses groups to help children learn with the support, encouragement and, at times, instruction of their peers. This method can be used to gather a variety of information, generate new ideas and solve problems. Break the steps down into bite-sized pieces, and have a few students or a team model exactly what to do as you walk them through the directions. I’ve mentioned my Back to School Super Start Pack several times because it’s a “go to” collection of detailed information, strategies, and printables about how to create a caring classroom community of students who enjoy learning together. In fact, the more diversity in a team, the higher the benefits for each student. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. - Strategies, Benefits & Definition. ad-hoc groups of two to four students work together for brief periods in a class | {{course.flashcardSetCount}} TpT is an open marketplace where educators buy, sell, and share original teaching materials. Recharge and Write is an excellent strategy for scaffolding written response in almost any subject area. Defined broadly, Jigsaw is a grouping strategy in which the members of the class are organized into "jigsaw" groups. The whole class instruction is used to teach new concepts. From Traditional to Cooperative Learning.  If you’ve been using cooperative learning activities on a daily basis and your students are not making academic gains, it’s time to take a close look at what’s really going on. It requires teachers to structure cooperative interdependence among the students. However, it’s not always easy to get kids to work together effectively. 's' : ''}}. When this happens, analyze the structure of the activity and be sure your directions require equal participation. - Definition & Characters, What is a Double Consonant? When everyone is ready, they take their pencils out of the recharger and write their own responses without talking. You don’t have to wait until the next school year to implement these strategies, either! To take this activity a step further, ask students to write down their questions and hand them in. Believe it or not, it’s possible for students to like each other yet lack the social skills needed for successful teamwork. Meaningful cooperative learning doesn't just build a positive social climate, but it also teaches students to be proactive learners and can increase comprehension and … 4. As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 83,000 lessons in math, If your students aren’t following directions, it might be that they aren’t hearing them. Work with your students to brainstorm what it looks like and sounds like when you encourage others, and record their responses on the chart. https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/setting-up-and-facilitating-group-work- Another way to equalize participation is to assign roles or have students take turns. Before Laura retired, she was honored by being named a Milken Educator. 1. There are many ways to include cooperative learning in your classroom but highlighted below are a few popular models you can adopt. The picture on the right shows Recharge and Write About Poetry, a lesson from Exploring Poetry: Tools for Teaching Kids to Read and Understand Poetry. 5 Questions to Ask When Cooperative Learning Isn’t Working Think back to your last cooperative learning lesson, and ask yourself the five questions below. Enrolling in a course lets you earn progress by passing quizzes and exams. Are your students rude or impatient with each other? It might be a clapping pattern, a few taps on a set of chimes, a call-and-response signal, or another method described on the Quiet Signals page on my site. I love including step-by-step directions and classroom management strategies because I want others to experience the same success I did in my classroom. Keep activity directions simple and very structured, such as requiring students to take turns or assigning them clearly defined roles. If your low-performing students are making progress but your gifted students are not, ask yourself if ALL of your students are being challenged in every lesson. Students should work with the same students for one semester or half the school year. Laura started her online file cabinet of resources for teachers at LauraCandler.com almost 20 years ago, and she’s currently an active blogger at CorkboardConnections.com. Choose an answer and hit 'next'. Next, immediately assign a cooperative learning activity like Showdown, pictured below, that will provide an opportunity to practice the social skill focus. While it’s debatable as to why cooperative learning flew under the radar for so long, it’s undeniably a powerful and effective teaching strategy. Join our community of educators and These structures involve five key elements which can be implemented in a variety of ways. 3. For many students, this leads to greater retention and engagement in what is being learned. In these assessments you'll be tested on: To learn more about teaching strategies, review the lesson What Is Cooperative Learning in the Classroom? (See the example on the right from Back to School Super Start). Her Teaching Resources Facebook page has over 650,000 followers, and she’d love for you to connect with her there! Do your students have trouble following directions during cooperative learning lessons? - Definition & Levels, What is a Fairy Tale? 12 Questions to Ask Before Using Collaborative Learning Published on: 10 Oct 2016 by Nikos Andriotis , 5 mins to read eLearning course collaboration is one of the hardest things to achieve. Laura Candler was an upper elementary classroom teacher in Fayetteville, NC for 30 years, and was among the first teachers in her state to receive National Board Certification. During 6th grade math class, the teacher uses a variety of teaching strategies. When they finish with that question only, they put their pencils back in the cup. This lesson covers the following objectives: {{courseNav.course.topics.length}} chapters | You can find the complete directions for Showdown in my blog post, Show What You Know. Even students who previously thought they had nothing in common are surprised to see that they do! 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