Cooperative Learning
1
COOPERATIVE LEARNING
FG,Atilim University,2007
What it is?
 Cooperation -- working together to accomplish
shared goals.
 Cooperative learning-- is a successful teaching
strategy in which small teams, each with students of
different levels of ability, use a variety of learning
activities to improve their understanding of a subject.

TimerTools™.exe
2

Students work through the assignment until all group
members successfully understand and complete it.
3
FG,Atilim University,2007

Each member of a team is responsible not only for
learning what is taught but also for helping
teammates learn, thus creating an atmosphere of
achievement.
WHY COOPERATIVE LEARNING?
FG,Atilim University,2007
Cooperative efforts result in participants
striving for mutual benefit so that all group
members:
 gain from each other's efforts. (Your success
benefits me and my success benefits you.)
 recognize
that all group members share a
common fate. (We all sink or swim together
here.)
4

feel proud and jointly celebrate when a group member
is recognized for achievement. (We all congratulate you
on your accomplishment!).
FG,Atilim University,2007

know that one's performance is mutually caused by
oneself and one's team members. (We can not do it
without you.)
5
WHY USE COOPERATIVE LEARNING?
Research has shown that cooperative
learning techniques:
student learning and academic
achievement
 increase student retention
 enhance student satisfaction with their
learning experience
 help students develop skills in oral
communication
 develop students' social skills
 promote student self-esteem
 help to promote positive race
relations
FG,Atilim University,2007
 promote
6
SMALL GROUP SKILLS
 Groups
FG,Atilim University,2007
cannot function effectively if
members do not have and use the needed
social skills.
 Instructors emphasize these skills as
purposefully and precisely as jobperformance skills.
 Collaborative skills include leadership,
decision-making, trust- building,
communication, and conflict-management
skills.
7
GROUP PROCESSING
Groups need specific
time to discuss how well
they are achieving their
goals and maintaining
effective working
relationships among
members. Instructors
structure group
processing by assigning
such tasks as
FG,Atilim University,2007
Instructors also monitor
the groups and give
feedback on how well the
groups are working
together.
(a) list at least three
member actions that
helped the group be
successful and
(b) list one action that
could be added to make
the group even more
successful tomorrow.
8
THE INSTRUCTOR'S ROLE IN COOPERATIVE
LEARNING
MAKE PRE-INSTRUCTIONAL DECISIONS
 Specify Academic and Social Skills


Objectives: Every lesson has both (a) academic
and (b) and small group skills objectives.
Decide on Group Size: Learning groups should
be small (groups of two or three members, four at
the most).
Decide on Group Composition (Assign Students
to Groups): Assign students to groups randomly or
select groups yourself. Usually you will wish to
9
maximize the heterogeneity in each group.
FG,Atilim University,2007

 Assign
TimerTools™.exe
FG,Atilim University,2007
Roles: Structure student-student
interaction by assigning roles such as Reader,
Recorder, Encourager of Participation and
Checker for Understanding. ( Role Cards)
 Informal grouping. (activity)
 Arrange the Room: Group members should
be "knee to knee and eye to eye" but arranged
so they all can see the instructor at the front of
the room.
 Plan Materials: Arrange materials to give a
"sink or swim together" message. Give only
one paper to the group or give each member
10
part of the material to be learned.
 Specify
FG,Atilim University,2007
Expected Behaviors: The more
specific you are about the behaviors you want
to see in the groups, the more likely students
will do them. Social skills may be classified as
 forming (staying with the group, using quiet
voices),
 functioning (contributing, encouraging others
to participate),
 formulating (summarizing, elaborating), and
 fermenting (criticizing ideas, asking for
justification).
Regularly teach the interpersonal and small
group skills you wish to see used in the
learning groups.
11
MONITOR AND INTERVENE
 Monitor
 Grouping
FG,Atilim University,2007
Students' Behavior: This is the
fun part! While students are working, you
circulate to see whether they understand
the assignment and the material, give
immediate feedback and reinforcement, and
praise good use of group skills. Collect
observation data on each group and student
Activity.
TimerTools™.exe
12


Intervene to Improve Taskwork and Teamwork.
FG,Atilim University,2007
Provide taskwork assistance (clarify, reteach) if
students do not understand the assignment. Provide
teamwork assistance if students are having
difficulties in working together productively.
13
EVALUATE
AND
PROCESS
 Evaluate
FG,Atilim University,2007
Student Learning: Assess and
evaluate the quality and quantity of student
learning. Involve students in the
assessment process.
 Process Group Functioning: Ensure
each student receives feedback, analyzes
the data on group functioning, sets an
improvement goal, and participates in a
team celebration.
 Have groups routinely list three things they
did well in working together and one thing
they will do better tomorrow. Summarize
as a whole class. Have groups celebrate
their success and hard work.
14
JIG-SAW PROCEDURE





FG,Atilim University,2007

Task: Think of a reading assignment you will give in the
near future. Divide the assignment in three parts. Plan how
you will use the jig-saw procedure. Script out exactly what
you will say to your class in using each part of the jig-saw
procedure.
Procedure: One way to structure positive interdependence
among group members is to use the jigsaw method of creating
resource interdependence. The steps for structuring a
"jigsaw" lesson are:
1. Cooperative Groups: Distribute a set of materials to
each group. The set needs to be divisible into the number of
members of the group (2, 3, or 4 parts). Give each member
one part of the set of materials.
2. Preparation Pairs: Assign students the cooperative task
of meeting with someone else in the class who is a member of
another learning group and who has the same section of the
material and complete two tasks:
a. Learning and becoming an expert on their material.
b. Planning how to teach the material to the other members
of their groups.
15
FG,Atilim University,2007
3. Practice Pairs: Assign students the cooperative
task of meeting with someone else in the class who
is a member of another learning group and who has
learned the same material and share ideas as to
how the material may best be taught. These
"practice pairs" review what each plans to teach
their group and how. The best ideas of both are
incorporated into each other’s presentation.
4. Cooperative Groups: Assign students the
cooperative tasks of:
a. Teaching their area of expertise to the other group
members.
b. Learning the material being taught by the other
members.
5. Evaluation: Assess students' degree of mastery
of all the material. Reward the groups whose
members all reach the preset criterion of
excellence.
16
1. POSITIVE INTERDEPENDENCE
(SINK OR SWIM TOGETHER)
Each group member's
efforts are required and
indispensable for group
success
 Each group member has
a unique contribution to
make to the joint effort
because of his or her
resources and/or role and
task responsibilities

FG,Atilim University,2007
17
2. FACE-TO-FACE INTERACTION
(PROMOTE EACH OTHER'S SUCCESS)
Orally explaining how to
solve problems
 Teaching one's
knowledge to other
 Checking for
understanding
 Discussing concepts
being learned
 Connecting present with
past learning

FG,Atilim University,2007
18
3. INDIVIDUAL
&GROUP ACCOUNTABILITY
Keeping the size of the
group small. The
smaller the size of the
group, the greater the
individual
accountability may be.
 Giving an individual
test to each student.
 Randomly examining
students orally by
calling on one student
to present his or her
group's work to the
teacher (in the
presence of the group)
or to the entire class.

FG,Atilim University,2007
19
Observing each group
and recording the
frequency with which
each membercontributes to the
group's work.
 Assigning one student
in each group the role
of checker. The checker
asks other group
members to explain the
reasoning and
rationale underlying
group answers.
 Having students teach
what they learned to
someone else

FG,Atilim University,2007
20
4. INTERPERSONAL &
SMALL-GROUP SKILLS
 Social
skills must be
taught:





Leadership
Decision-making
Trust-building
Communication
Conflict-management
skills
FG,Atilim University,2007
21
5. GROUP PROCESSING
Group members discuss
how well they are
achieving their goals and
maintaining effective
working relationships
 Describe what member
actions are helpful and
not helpful
 Make decisions about
what behaviors to
continue or change

FG,Atilim University,2007
22

Class Activities that use Cooperative
Learning
FG,Atilim University,2007
23
1. Jigsaw –
 Groups with five students
are set up. Each group
member is assigned some
unique material to learn
and then to teach to his
group members. To help in
the learning students across
the class working on the
same sub-section get
together to decide what is
important and how to teach
it. After practice in these
"expert" groups the original
groups reform and students
teach each other. (Wood, p.
17) Tests or assessment
follows.
FG,Atilim University,2007
24
2. Think-Pair-Share –
 Involves a three step cooperative structure. During
the first step individuals think silently about a
question posed by the instructor. Individuals pair
up during the second step and exchange
thoughts. In the third step, the pairs share their
responses with other pairs, other teams, or the
entire group.

FG,Atilim University,2007
25
FG,Atilim University,2007
3. Three-Step Interview
- Each member of a team chooses another member to
be a partner.
- During the first step individuals interview their
partners by asking clarifying questions.
- During the second step partners reverse the roles.
- For the final step, members share their partner's
response with the team.
26
-
-
-
FG,Atilim University,2007
-
4. Round Robin Brainstorming
Class is divided into small groups (4 to 6)
with one person appointed as the recorder.
A question is posed with many answers and
students are given time to think about
answers.
After the "think time," members of the team
share responses with one another round
robin style.
The recorder writes down the answers of the
group members.
The person next to the recorder starts and
each person in the group in order gives an
answer until time is called.
27
FG,Atilim University,2007
5. Three-minute review –
 Teachers stop any time during a lecture or
discussion and give teams three minutes to review
what has been said, ask clarifying questions or
answer questions.
28
FG,Atilim University,2007
6. Numbered Heads
 A team of four is established.
 Each member is given numbers of 1, 2, 3, 4.
 Questions are asked of the group.
 Groups work together to answer the question so
that all can verbally answer the question.
 Teacher calls out a number (two) and each two is
asked to give the answer.
29

7. Team Pair Solo
 Students
FG,Atilim University,2007
do problems first as a team, then
with a partner, and finally on their own.
 It is designed to motivate students to tackle
and succeed at problems which initially are
beyond their ability.
 It is based on a simple notion of mediated
learning. Students can do more things with
help (mediation) than they can do alone.
 By allowing them to work on problems they
could not do alone, first as a team and then
with a partner, they progress to a point they
can do alone that which at first they could
do only with help.
30
-
-
First the teacher polls the class to see which students have a
special knowledge to share.
For example the teacher may ask who in the class was able to
solve a difficult math homework question, who had visited
Mexico, who knows the chemical reactions involved in how
salting the streets help dissipate snow.
Those students (the sages) stand and spread out in the room.
The teacher then has the rest of the classmates each surround
a sage, with no two members of the same team going to the
same sage.
The sage explains what they know while the classmates
listen, ask questions, and take notes.
All students then return to their teams. Each in turn,
explains what they learned.
Because each one has gone to a different sage, they compare
notes. If there is disagreement, they stand up as a team.
Finally, the disagreements are aired and resolved.
FG,Atilim University,2007
-
8. Circle the Sage
31

9. Partners –
 The
FG,Atilim University,2007
class is divided into teams of four.
 Partners move to one side of the room. Half
of each team is given an assignment to
master to be able to teach the other half.
 Partners work to learn and can consult with
other partners working on the same
material.
 Teams go back together with each set of
partners teaching the other set.
 Partners quiz and tutor teammates.
 Team reviews how well they learned and
taught and how they might improve the
process.
32
FG,Atilim University,2007
10. Double Entry Journal
The Double Entry Journal can be used as a way for
students to take notes on articles and other
resources they read in preparation for class
discussion.
 Students read and reflect on the assigned
reading(s).
 Students prepare the double entry journal, listing
critical points of the readings (as they see them)
and any responses to the readings, in general, or
specific critical points.
 Students bring their journal notes to class
 Once in class, students may use their double entry
journal to begin discussion, to do a paired
annotation, or for other classroom and group
activity.
33
FG,Atilim University,2007
34
ONE MINUTE PAPERS
Ask students to comment on the following
questions. Give them one minute and time them.
This activity focuses them on the content and can
also provide feedback to you as a teacher.
 What was the most important or useful thing you
learned today?
 What two important questions do you still have;
what remains unclear?
 What would you like to know more about?
 You can use these one minute papers to begin the
next day's discussion, to facilitate discussion within
a group, or to provide you with feedback on where
the student is in his or her understanding of the
material.

FG,Atilim University,2007
35










FG,Atilim University,2007

David and Roger Johnson. "Cooperative Learning." [Online] 15 October 2001.
<http://www.clcrc.com/pages/cl.html>.
David and Roger Johnson. "An Overview of Cooperative Learning." [Online]
15 October 2001. <http://www.clcrc.com/pages/overviewpaper.html>.
Howard Community College's Teaching Resources. "Ideas on Cooperative
Learning and the use of Small Groups." [Online] 15 October 2001.
<http://www.howardcc.edu/profdev/resources/learning/groups1.htm>.
Kagan, Spencer. "Kagan Structures for Emotional Intelligence." [Online] 15
October 2001. <
"http://www.kagancooplearn.com/Newsletter/1001/index.html>
Solomon, R., Davidson, N., & Solomon, E. (1992). Handbook for the Fourth
R: Relationship Activities for Cooperative and Collegial Learning . (Volume
III). Columbia, MD: National Institute for Relationship Training, Inc.
Bossert, S.T. (1988). Cooperative activities in the classroom. Review of
Educational Research, 15, 225-250.
Bruffee, K.A. (1993). Collaborative learning: Higher education,
interdependence, and the authority of knowledge. Baltimore, MD: The Johns
Hopkins University Press.
Cohen, E.G.: (1994). Restructuring the classroom: Conditions for productive
small groups. Review of Educational Research, 64, 1-35.
Cooper, J. (1990, May). Cooperative learning and clooege teaching: Tips from
the trenches. The Teaching Professor, pp 1-2.
Davis, J.R. Better teaching, more learning. Phoenix, AZ: The Oryx Press.
Kagan, S. (1992). Cooperative learning (2nd ed.). San Juan Capistrano, CA:
Resources for Teachers.
36