It's not about having a group of students sitting together, or about having one or two students dominating the discussion or the work. Cooperative learning differs from group work, since the last is only about having students work together without being a team aiming all together to reach their goal. When students tend to work together there should be a face-to-face interaction, division of labor, each students is assigned to specific role etc... Cooperative learning is very important since it enhances student achievement and allows students to be more engaged and interested in accomplishing certain task.
Cooperative learning is proved to
help students especially the minority and the low socioeconomic groups, since
such students would feel that they are involved in the activities done in
classroom, and that they are not excelled due to the competition that occurs
normally while discussing things. Cooperative learning helps in facilitating
the explanation of the lesson and gives students positive attitudes toward
schooling.
The cooperative learning includes any form of instruction in which students are working together for a purpose. If there is any activity that requires mutual interdependence, collective problem solving, and striving for a common goal, so the solution is offering the cooperative learning which is worth the effort. It has a positive effect on student learning when compared to individual or competitive conditions and the potential to produce a level of engagement that other forms of learning cannot.
ReplyDeleteLearning is a social activity. In fact, this social dimension is a critical aspect in the learning process for people of any age. People learn in communities. Together, they accomplish more than as individuals and they have more fun in the process. When students learn through cooperative learning, they have an opportunity to discuss new concepts with someone close to their own level of understanding. They get to try out new ideas and ask questions in a small group before speaking to the whole class or finishing a written product. This process of learning allow students to have fun while learning, and they become better socialized with their peers thus better prepared to the society.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it is not an easy thing to plan and construct groups of students who are ready to work together, respect each other, and even tolerate their partners, Cooperative learning benefits seem to exceed these obstacles. As a teacher, I highly recommend the use of such learning style whenever possible and with the suitable content of course. A very important point to take into consideration is the issue of managing your classroom and making it suitable for working in a peaceful environment.
ReplyDeleteMany teachers say that its not easy to apply cooperative learning in classroom since no time to do that.However i think that this strategy is the best one to use in case of having big class, such strategy will make students active and interest in the session.This strategy can help students to develop different skills like:working with others efficiently, listening for others opinions and respecting them, encouraging partner to participate with their opinions even if they are not appropriate.
ReplyDeleteThrough cooperative learning we are able to structure the positive interdependence among the students in the classrooms where cooperative strategies are implemented. The students will rush to make their groups succeed and exert more effort for this success. Students will contribute to hold the tasks and the responsibilities. When there is no positive interdependence then the cooperative learning fails to take place.
ReplyDeleteAs an instructional strategy, cooperative learning exists within the domain of effective classroom practice."cooperative learning:Where Hearts Meets Mind Collaboratively evolved out of that care".
ReplyDeleteResearch finding about cooperative learning states that whenever cooperative learning is implemented effectively we can expect a high self esteem, a higher achievement, an increased retention, grater social support, more on task behavior, grater collaborative skills,, increased perspective taking, Better attitude to ward school and teachers, increased intrinsic motivation...all can arise as a result of cooperative learning.
I think that the most important thing that can result from such learning is the development of social skills that can prepare students for their societies.
last semester we used to apply cooperative learning in the management course, it was a was very interesting and we engaged it.
Cooperative learning is a group work, in which positive interdependence is structured, where all members of a group feel connected to each other in the accomplishment of a common goal. Another element of cooperative learning is individual accountability in which individuals demonstrate accountability for self and teammates. Through cooperative learning social skills are taught, practiced, and processed, such skills enhance communication, leadership, decision-making, and conflict management.
ReplyDeleteDuring my observation to an economic class, we have tried to make a revision to the lesson using cooperative method (Graffiti), the students were interacting with each other in an active way to answer the questions and they were able to make a short summary at the end. I think that they will remember these questions if they were included in their exam.
ReplyDelete