benefits of cooperative learning in the classroom

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Benefits of Cooperative Learning in the Classroom Dr. Aries Cobb, Lecturer ETE 501 Cleveland State University 2016

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Benefits of Cooperative Learning in the ClassroomDr. Aries Cobb, LecturerETE 501Cleveland State University 2016

Collaborative Learning Benefits Participants in many ways\

• Interpersonal skills

Critical Thinking

• Individual accountability

• Academic Achievement

• Motivation and Retention

Learning Disabilities (LD)

Greater access to general education curriculum Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) Participate with other children with disabilities and nondisabled children

in classroom activities

Cooperative Learning and LD Students “Cooperative learning is an instructional method, or peer-assisted

learning strategy where students work together in small groups to help each other learn.” (Sencibaugh and Sencibaugh, 2016)

Cooperative groups tend to stay together for many weeks or months Cooperative groups average 2-4 students Hone interpersonal skills, including active listening, giving good

explanations, avoiding putdowns, and including other people

Two Essential Conditions for Successful Cooperative Learning in LD Classrooms1. Recognition or small reward provided to groups, so members can see

that it is their interest to help their groupmates learn

2. Individual accountability-group success depends on individual learning of all group members, not on a single product

Structured vs. Unstructured Cooperative Learning Structured-student groups trained by teachers to use small-

group and interpersonal behaviors, including accepting responsibility, encouraging group involvement and sharing resources.

Unstructured-receive no training and have equal time to develop a plan for collaborative problem solving.

Benefits of Cooperative Learning in LD Classrooms Special education students engaged in cooperative learning tend to view

the experience as valuable and helps them learn. They gain peer acceptance, make friends with regular education classmates and improve their behavior in the classroom (Putmnam, Markovchick, Johnson, & Johnson, 1996).

Like school more Enhanced self-esteem Learn more effective social skills

Cooperative Learning Examples in LD Classrooms

Peer tutoring Peer-assisted learning (PAL) Group problem solving Games related to lesson plans, i.e. record keeper,

timer, Etc.

Interpersonal Development and Critical ThinkingHow does collaborative learning help?

Click the computer to find out

Interpersonal Development and Critical ThinkingHow does collaborative learning help?

Click the computer to find out

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Students learn to relate to their peers and other learners as they work together in group enterprises. This can be especially helpful for students who have difficulty with social skills. They can benefit from structured interactions with others (Source Website).

Interpersonal Skills and Critical Thinking

Students will develop conflict resolution skills to resolve issues within the group.

Enables students to bond socially with others in and outside of school to work on project.

Learning how to communicate ideas and issues with team members in a constructive manner, a life skill needed in college and the workplace.

Students are exposed to different opinions, broadening their understanding of concepts in question

Teaches students to put the group ahead of the individual “give and take”

Students will share knowledge readily if they believe others will share knowledge with them, enhancing understanding of the task at hand (Lee, Parsons, Kwon, Kim, Petrova, Jeoung, Ryu, 2016).

Individual Accountability

In addition to being able to work with different personality types, the student will learn to hold themselves accountable for making sure that they participate equally.

Students learn the importance of following through on what they agree to “carrying their own weight”

Holding themselves to deadlines and specific objectives

Academic Achievement

Research has shown that students who work in cooperative groups do better on tests, especially with regard to reasoning and critical thinking skills than those that do not (Johnson and Johnson, 1989 ).

Slavin (1980) reviewed 28 primary field projects lasting at least 2 weeks in which CL methods were used in elementary or secondary school. He concluded that:

1- For academic achievement, cooperative learning techniques are no worse than traditional techniques, and in most cases they are significantly better.

2- For low level learning outcomes, such as knowledge, calculation, and application of principles, CL techniques appear to be more effective than traditional techniques.

3-For high level cognitive learning outcomes, such as identifying concepts, analysis of problems, judgement and evaluation, less structured CL techniques that involve high student autonomy and participation in decision-making may be more effective than traditional individualistic techniques.

Motivation and Retention

students who are learning cooperatively are more active participants in the learning process (Lord, 2001 ). They care about the class and the material and they are more personally engaged.

There are a lot of people who do not believe in cooperative learning, they see that way of learning as a setback which will stop them

from reaching their goals, buy there are also people, like us, who see cooperative learning

as a opportunity to grow their knowledge.

Students who work together tend to gain much more

knowledge, and to remember it for a longer period of time.

According to Johnson and Johnson (2013) there are five basic elements of cooperative learning:

1. Positive Interdependence – We are all in this together and need each other

2. Individual Accountability – Everyone does her/his part and learns all of the material

3. Promotive Interaction – We all support and promote each other academically and personally

4. Interpersonal and Small Group Skills – We all learn the social skills to help build relationships and resolve conflicts in positive ways

5. Group Processing – We each assess ourselves and each other in order to get better

In one study about cooperative learning it is pointed out using those five elements are vital for having a successful learning strategy. According to this study, once the students gain the basic ideas and skills of cooperative learning the teacher will observe the learning curve taking a much higher path in terms of academic growth and social and interpersonal growth (Laurian-Fitzgerald & Roman, 2016).

References

Cooperative and Collaborative Learning: Explanation. (n.d.). Retrieved September 17, 2016, from http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/coopcollab/index_sub3.html

Farrell, T. S., & Jacobs, G. M. (2016, February). Practicing What We Preach: Teacher Reflection Groups on Cooperative Learning. The Electronic Journal for English Asa SecondLanguage, 19(4). http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1092795.pdf

Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, F. P. (2013). Joining together: Group theory and group skills (11th Ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon

Laurian-Fitzgerald, S., & Roman, A. F. (2016). The effect of teaching cooperative learning skills on developing young students' growth mindset. Journal Plus Education / Educatia Plus, 1468-82

Lee, H., Parsons, D., Kwon, G., Kim, J., Petrova, K., Jeong, E., & Ryu, H. (2016). Cooperation begins: Encouraging critical thinking skills through cooperative reciprocity using a mobile learning game. Computers & Education, 97, 97-115. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2016.03.006

Putnam, J. Markovchick, K. Johnson, D.W., & Johnson, R.T. (1996). Cooperative learning and peer acceptance of students with learning disabilities. Journal of Social Psychology, 136(6), 741-752.

Sencibaugh J.M. & Sencibaugh A.M. (2016). An analysis of cooperative learning approaches for students with learning disabilities. Education, 136(3), 356-364.