CO-OPERATIVE LEARNING
at Houghton Valley School
BACKGROUND
During 2007 our local Resource Teachers of Learning and Behaviour, in association with
Victoria University, ran an ‘Effective Teaching Strategies’ course for teachers from local
schools. Their motivation was a perceived need for more cohesive classrooms, in which
children were more active learners. Three of our teachers attended this course. They
found it extremely valuable and suggested that we take on co-operative learning, which
was a major part of the training, as a professional development area.
In 2008 the remaining permanent teachers and principal completed the course. One of our
teachers, Monica Mercury, also took on a facilitator’s role at the course. In 2009 our two
fixed term teachers and part-time teacher are being trained.
WHY DO WE WANT CHILDREN TO USE CO-OPERATIVE LEARNING?
a. We want children to be used to working with others before they become adults.
b. To do so requires structure.
c. To be effective in a co-operative learning situation, all group members must be
accountable – it is not a soft option.
d. Co-operative skills are useful in the workplace.
e. Feedback from kids and observation shows us that our HVS children who struggle
academically enjoy the co-operative experience – and they are quite good at it.
f. There are many correlations between co-operative learning and children’s lives
e.g. sports teams
g. Our more able children like it less, probably because they are extremely
comfortable with what they do already – so it is therefore a worthwhile challenge
for them.
h. We want our students to be what we call ‘mult-situational’ i.e. they can work in a
variety of ways – alone, with others, as a competitor, as a leader, as a worker etc.
So we don’t hammer co-operative learning as that would make it tedious – but we
want it to become another tool in the toolbox.
i. It ties in extremely well with the new curriculum and the ‘key competencies’
which we have as part of our strategic goals.
WHAT DOES CO-OPERATIVE LEARNING LOOK LIKE?
If you went into a classroom where co-operative groups were working cohesively, you
would:
1) See many small groups working towards a shared goal
2) Hear a lot of purposeful conversation
3) Notice that children were carrying out different roles using an agreed structure
4) Be able to see a connection between the group task and specific learning goal
The five essential elements of co-operative learning are:
P
I
G
S
F
Positive interaction
Individual accountability
Group and individual reflection
Small group skills
Face to face interaction
When working in co-operative groups we never have more than 4 children in each
group…
In co-operative learning,
‘small is beautiful’!
A good rule of thumb is
‘four and no more’.
At Houghton Valley School, we have an agreed ‘Top Eight’ strategies :
1) The Donut
2) Human Treasure Hunt
3) T Chart
4) Venn Diagram
5) Expert Jigsaw
6) PMI (Plus/Minus/Interesting)
7) Think/Pair/Share
8) Y Chart
A description of each follows.
We have also agreed on ‘four more’, to be used in the senior classes:
1)
2)
3)
4)
Stand and Share
Windows
Timed Talking
3 Stray, 1 Stay
And ‘four more’ to be used in the junior classes:
1)
2)
3)
4)
3 Stray
Rally table
Group/Individual Reflection
Roam the Room
Some of the theorists/researchers that influence co-operative theory are:
- Don Brown and Charlotte Thomson (’Co-op learning in NZ Schools’)
- Spencer Kagan
- Robert Marzano
- Jere Brophy
‘TOP EIGHT’ CO-OPERATIVE STRATEGIES
Houghton Valley School
CO-OPERATIVE LEARNING 2009
During our co-operative learning professional development day, Jan 2009, we identified
the following ‘top eight’ co-operative structures/strategies to be used school-wide.
DONUT
1. Students stand in two concentric circles facing each other.
2. Facing their partner they take it in turns to share information and ideas or ask each
other questions.
3. At a given signal from the teacher the outside circle moves a given number of
places clockwise.
4. Students now give feedback on what was said between themselves and their
previous partner.
5. These steps can be repeated if desired.
Skills for success
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Listening and following teacher instructions
Express ideas clearly, ask appropriate questions
Listen and stay focused
Retelling skills
Know the difference between L/R, clockwise/anticlockwise
Possible uses
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Basic news sharing
Hook into a lesson
Share information about a topic
Recapping a lesson
Maths basic facts
Icebreaker
HUMAN TREASURE HUNT
Description
This can be used as an ‘ice-breaker’ or cohesive activity. It could be used to gauge group
understanding or as a way to reinforce knowledge/skills. (Could be adapted according to
the level of the children).
1.
2.
3.
4.
Decide on a purpose for the treasure hunt.
Devise a list of questions (10 max).
Give each student one copy.
Explain rules:
a. You can sign someone’s paper only once.
b. You must not sign without stating your answer.
c. When all of your questions are signed, help someone else to find
people top answer theirs.
5. Hold the treasure hunt.
Discuss the outcomes with class, what they have learned etc.
Skills for success
Prior knowledge of general topics
Visual Comprehension skills
Reading and comprehension skills
Basic writing skills
Basic oral language skills
Confident social skills to approach people
Possible uses
Encouraging children to speak to each other
Gathering of information for a statistical investigation
Cohesive activity for the establishment of a positive situation or classroom
Independent Self-evaluation
Diagnostic or Summative assessment activity for a topic
T Chart
T Charts are used to examine a particular problem or issue.
T Chart – cause and effect
Skills for success
Equal participation skills – turn taking, active listening
Prior knowledge
Praise and affirm
Reflection on prior learning
Ability to reflect learning back to class
Move from whole class situation to group situation
To be able to use/share roles within their groups
Confidence and security to contribute ideas
Respect each other
Possible uses
Teaching social skills:

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
Looks like/sounds like
Dealing with behaviour issues. Problem (title) – Looks like, Sounds like
Clarifying teacher instructions/behaviour rules. What will I see/hear when you
do…
Teaching group skills:
Looks like/sounds like
Topic specific:
What I know/What I would like/need to know
Venn Diagram
Venn diagrams support students to identify similarities and differences between ideas,
concepts or problems. The similarities are recorded in the intersection of the two circles.
The differences are recorded in the outer sections of the two circles.
Skills for success
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Understand how to use the diagram
Writing skills/drawing skills
Discussing, compromising, cooperating, listening
Subject knowledge
Reading (possibly)
Possible uses
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Comparing subjects in a topic study
Can use text or pictures
Pre and post testing
Recapping information
Icebreaker – comparing two children and their backgrounds, interests, etc.
Maths – statistics, LCMs, etc.
Before and after comparisons
Expert Jigsaw
This activity is characterised by participants within a cooperative group each becoming
expert on different aspects of one topic of study.
1. Before presenting and teaching to the cooperative group, students form Expert
Groups, comprised of individuals from different cooperative groups who have the
same assigned topic.
2. Together, expert partners study their topic and plan effective ways to teach
important information when they return to their cooperative groups.
3. One way of teaching is for the expert group to display their information on paper.
4. Participants return to their cooperative groups and then take their cooperative
group on a Gallery Tour (walk around the room) to each display.
5. Or participants can return to their cooperative groups and teach all members of
their group as they are now the experts.
Skills for success
Prior knowledge/practice working in a cooperative groups with assigned roles




Equal participation skills – turn taking, active listening
Praise and affirm
Confidence and security to contribute ideas
Respect each other
The skills to be able to move away from their group into a new group and then take their
learning back to their original group
Work to a time frame
Take on individual responsibility roles
Ability to reflect learning individually back to a group and to the class
Move from whole class situation to group situation.
To be able to use/share roles within their groups
Reporting and presentation skills
Possible uses
START SIMPLE! Focus on organisation first
Understanding and investigating a topic
Disseminating information
To teach social skills by taking minimal content and concentrating on the skills so that
the key output is the use of the skills not the content.
PMI
A PMI (Plus, Minus, Interesting) is used for affective processing to talk about the
pluses, minuses and interesting points felt about a lesson, concept or issue.
What I liked
Pluses (+)
What I didn’t like
Minuses (-)
What I thought was interesting
Questions or thoughts
Skills for successes



Students may be able to summarise and articulate clearly.
Identify student’s personal reactions.
Understood the content of the activity/lesson/unit
Possible uses
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Focus activity at the conclusion of a lesson or series of lessons
Assessment tool
Self reporting tool for students
Feedback
Self evaluation – individual/small group/whole class
Can be used for academic and sporting activities – e.g at the end of a school
trip or the following day.
As part of a self contained lesson.
Facilitates reflection and thereby supports development of memory and metacognition skills.
Validates students’ opinions and ideas.
Can gauge the interest of the students in a topic (for future planning).
Homework.
THINK/PAIR/SHARE
Description
Think Pair Share is a cognitive rehearsal structure that can be used to help students:




recall events
make a summary
stimulate thinking
share responses, feelings and ideas
The teacher sets a problem or asks for a response about a
topic.
The students think alone for a specified time.
The students form pairs to discuss the problem or give
responses.
Some responses may be shared with the class.
Explicit discussion about the rights and responsibilities of speakers and listeners helps to
clarify the shared understandings of the partner discussions. To help the students
establish effective speaking and listening skills, teachers model and refer to behaviours
that are expected when people speak and listen to each other.
Teachers monitor the children’s interactions and draw attention to successful discussions
so that students understand exactly what they need to do.
Skills for success
The children need to be able:
Do this task independently.
To take turns.
Organize their thoughts.
Verbalise their thoughts clearly and succinctly.
Listen actively in order to reiterate what their partner has said.
Repeat back what has been said to the class.
Combine other people’s ideas in a think, pair, square, then condense it down, so one
speaker can share everyone’s ideas as a single group idea.
Possible uses
Recalling events
Summarizing an event or situation
Stimulate thinking before a topic
Sharing of news, so that they can clarify their thoughts ready for writing
Assess level of prior knowledge
Y Charts
Y Charts are an extension of T Charts.
Skills for success



Active listening skills e.g. heads nodding, only one voice speaking at a time, …
Need to be able to differentiate between feelings and actions.
Students may be able to summarise and articulate clearly.
Possible uses

Can be used to examine a particular problem or issue (academic or social)
e.g. setting the class climate at the start of the year, reinforcing expectations,
resolving upsets, revision exercise or to reinforce learning from a lesson,
evaluation and reflection on how a lesson has progressed, …

Could be used as a starter prior to creative writing (‘imagine yourself on a
beach’) or recount writing (e.g. remembering the cross country).