cooperative learning: strategies and tools · web viewis a second important element of...

Cooperative Learning: Strategies and Tools

Resource Person: Christine Foster

With thanks to Dianne Bloor and Marie Geelen who generously shared many of these ideas and tools

Focus on Learning 2June 5, 2012


“Learning is all about making connections.”Patricia Cross

Workshop Description:

The research is clear. The more engaged learners are and the more they interact and connect with each other and with course content, the more likely they are to be successful in college courses. Come to this workshop to discover practical teaching tips and tools that you can use to get students learning together in your classroom. These techniques will work for college students in classrooms across all discipline areas. More specifically there will be an opportunity for you to

discuss the strengths and challenges of cooperative learning experience some active learning techniques explore a number of tips and teaching tools you can use to get students learning

together consider how you might use (or adapt) these tools and tips with students in your

classes

Proposed Agenda:

1.0 Getting Started…1.1 Welcome and introductions 1.2 Agenda setting

2.0 Thinking About Cooperative Learning2.1 Strengths and Challenges2.2 Some beginning thoughts on working with groups

3.0 Trying Out Some Active Learning Techniques that are used with groups. Select from3.1 T-Chart 3.5 Group Brainstorming3.2 Find the Fib 3.6 Take-a-stand3.3 Interview matrix 3.7 Snowball3.4 Pose a Problem-Pass a Problem 3.8 One Stay, Three Stay

4.0 Reflecting and Closure4.1 Summary and unanswered questions4.2 Activities/tools from others 4.3 “Keepers” to try out with your students4.4 Some resources for further exploration4.5 Workshop feedback

Focus on Learning 2 2 June 5, 2012.


Agenda Setting

Purpose:

To identify expectations and to focus the agenda

The task:

Working individually, review the collaborative learning activities in the handout Discuss your ideas with your group. Decide which of the activities you would most like to experience today Vote using your “Audience Response Card” (Clicker)

Notes:



THE LEARNING PYRAMIDCooperative learning techniques are associated with higher retention of knowledge and improved student learning as relected in the Learning Pyramid below.



Messages from the Research…“A Top Ten List”

Cooperative learning results in…

10 Greater intrinsic motivation

9 Increased perspective taking

8 More “on-task” behaviour

7 Better attitude towards teachers

6 Greater collaborative skills

5 Higher self-esteem

4 Greater use of higher level thinking

3 More engaged learners

2 Increased retention

1 Higher achievement

Some Basic Principles of Cooperative Learning



Adapted fromJohnson, Johnson, and Holubec, (1994) The Nuts & Bolts of Cooperative Learning

Setting the Stage for Cooperative Learning

As teachers, we fool ourselves if we think that well-meaning instructions like “form a group and work together”, or “work as a team to…”, or “set up a project team and work together to lighten the load”, will be enough to create cooperative efforts among group members. Placing students in a group and telling them to work together does not in and of itself result in cooperation. We need to teach students the skills of collaborative learning and provide them with the tools they need to help make groups work effectively. We also need to structure learning activities that are consistent with the essential principles of cooperative learning.

The Basic Principles of Cooperative Learning

Positive Interdependence is the first principle of cooperative learning. Positive interdependence is achieved when group members perceive that they are linked to one another in a way that one succeeds when everyone else succeeds. Group goals and tasks are designed and communicated in ways that make them believe they sink or swim together. Each group member’s efforts are required and indispensable for group success and each group member has a unique contribution to make to the joint effort because of his or her resources, experience and/or role and responsibilities. When structuring cooperative learning activities teachers ask themselves: Does individual success depend upon a team effort? Could anyone do it as well alone?

Individual (and group) accountability is a second important element of cooperative learning. Two levels of accountability have to be structured into cooperative lessons. The group must be accountable for achieving its goals and the individual must be accountable for contributing his/her share of the work. Individual accountability exists when the performance is each individual is assessed and the results are given back to the group and the individual in order to ascertain who needs more support. Students learn together so that each student subsequently gains greater individual competency. Questions to think about when structuring activities for individual accountability might be: Do students feel responsible for their own learning and for the learning of their team mates? Can individual and team performance be identified and tracked?

Group processing is a third basic component of cooperative learning. Group processing occurs when group members discuss how well they are achieving their goals and maintaining effective working relationships. Groups need to identify what member actions are helpful and unhelpful and make decisions about what behaviours to continue or change. The goal is continuous improvement of group effectiveness and the learning process through analysis of how members are working and learning together. Teachers need to provide the tools to help teams carry out these reflections and guide students to ask: How effectively did they demonstrate collaborative behaviours during the learning activity? What worked? What could be improved?



Social /collaborative /team work skills are another essential component of cooperative learning structures. Cooperative learning is inherently more complex than competitive or individualistic learning because students have to engage simultaneously in learning academic subject matter or skills (task work) and functioning effectively as a group (team work). These social or collaborative skills need to be taught to students just as purposefully as academic skills. Leadership, decision-making, conflict resolution, establishing group goals and a group agenda, communication, analysis and distribution of work and other skills are needed to help groups manage both team work and the task of learning new material effectively. Teachers need to structure tasks and teach the social/team skills needed to engage successfully in the task. They need to consider: What team skills are needed to accomplish this work? Do students have these skills? Do they need to be taught these skills? What tools would help them implement and monitor these skills?

Interaction (preferably face-to-face) is the final element of cooperative learning activities. Students need to do real work together in which they share resources, help, support, encourage each others’ efforts. Students develop cognitive and interpersonal skills as they teach each other what they know, discuss concepts, engage in group problem-solving, connect present to past learning, check their understanding etc. Teachers can build learning activities that promote this interaction. Teachers can examine learning activities and ask: Is this structured so that students need to interact in order to complete the task? How equal was the participation?



T-Chart

Principles of Cooperative Learning

Key ideas (in words) Key ideas (in pictures)

Something to remember:



T-Chart

Description:

This tool can be used during a lecture, watching a video or DVD, to summarize a reading or a field experience.

Students record point form facts or ideas in the facts column

Students work in pairs to share their notes and ensure that all have the necessary information

Then, students draw images or symbols to represent the facts or ideas

If time, students may be given an opportunity to share their visuals

Example:

Red Riding Hood went through thewoods

She picked flowers

She saw a wolf

The T-Chart can be adapted with different directions for each of the two columns.

See example on the next page.

Notes and applications:

T-Chart

Criticizing Ideas and Not People



What I could do… What I could say…

Bring out all the ideas and facts supporting both sides

Try to put ideas together in a way that makes sense

Try to understand both sides of an issue

Ask someone to restate what was said if I don’t understand

Listen to everyone’s ideas, even if I do not agree

Etc.

“I am going to change my opinion for these reasons…”

“Could you add any information that might support that idea?”

“I disagree with that idea for this reason…”

“What facts do you have to back up that statement?”

“That reasoning is invalid in this way…”

Etc.

With thanks to Marie Geelen who shared this example with us.



The Interview Matrix

Description… Notes and Application…

Create a few key questions that you will use to help students review a topic or explore a topic that is new to them. The questions should be somewhat open ended so that they cannot be answered with “yes/no” or short one word/one sentence answers.

Have students work in groups the size of the number of questions that you have. For example, for 4 questions, have students work in groups of 4.

Have students in each group “number off” so each student has a number from 1 to 4.Each of the numbers (1 through 4) is assigned a question that pertains to the topic to be reviewed or explored.

Each student is given time to interview the other students in their group to collect information related to the question that they have been given. Depending on the situation, two minutes per question is sufficient.

Then, all the same numbers meet together (all the number 1’s, number 2’s etc.) and share the information they have collected. Their task is to complete a composite list of information that has been collected from all the groups and to share this information with the whole class. Flip chart paper and markers or electronic visuals are helpful here.

Each number group reports on the information they have collected. You can lead the activity so there is an opportunity for you and the students to comment, extend, refine or offer alternative ideas.

This technique is useful for a number of purposes To find out what students know about a topic or process at the

beginning of a class or course To help “take up” assigned readings, a field trip, field work, or

assigned homework To review material from a class or unit of a course To have students explore a topic by having them interview

practitioners in the field.

Find-the-Fib

Description:

State two facts or true statements and one that is not true.

Announce all as facts or true statements

Have team mates or other teams identify which one is the fib

Notes and applications:



Example 1

4 + 4 = 8

4 X 2 = 8

4 2 = 8

Example 2

The standard deviation of test scores is an indictor of test difficulty.

The mean score is the same as the average score.

Mastery tests are an example of criterion referenced testing.



Pose a Problem Pass a Problem

Description…

The team works together to select a problem.

The team writes the problem and attaches it to the outside of a folder.

The folders are rotated to another team.

The team receiving a folder reads the problem, then lists creative solutions to the problem on a sheet of paper and places the paper inside the folder.

The folders are rotated to another team.

The team receiving the folder does not look inside the folder. They read the problem, list their solution to the problem and add their paper to the inside of the file.

The folders are rotated again and the process continues.

After the desired number of rotations, the file is returned to the team that posed the original problem.

They read the solutions that have been suggested, summarize the ideas, add any ideas of their own and prepare to share with the larger group according to the given guidelines. You may suggest they share what one or two solutions that they think might be the most effective, or the most creative, or the most common approaches etc.

Notes and application…



Group Brainstorming

Description…

Discuss the rules (4 S’s) Speed Suspend Judgment Silly is OK Synergy

For a Rallyrobin

Have students form pairs within the team.

Working in pairs students take turns with their partner sharing ideas back and forth—writing each idea on a separate post-it note.

When time is up (or ideas stop flowing) the ideas on the post-it notes are read and placed on the table for all to see.

Ideas can then be discussed, assessed for usefulness, and organized into concept maps or other configurations.

This can be adapted to include the total team at one time. For example two students brainstorm and two others serve as their scribes to capture the ideas as they are spoken on post-it notes.

Notes and Application…



Take-a-Stand

Description…

The purpose of this activity is to help students take a position on a question or topic and to explore the rationale for the position taken.It can be used effectively to help clarify and discuss contentious issues.

This technique can be used with groups as small as six or eight up to 100 or more.

Make four signs-- STRONGLY AGREE, AGREE, STRONGLY DISAGREE and DISAGREE. Post these signs around the room with strongly agree opposite strongly disagree and agree opposite disagree.

Review the purpose of the activity and the Arules@ with the students.

Read a statement that has no right or wrong response. (For example: Colleges should move to a pass/fail grading system). Invite the students to move to the part of the room that best describes their reaction to the statement. Do not allow students to stand between signs-- they must take a stand.

Give the groups under each sign a minute or two to share why they moved there. Invite a spokesperson from each area to explain (in a sentence or two) why they have taken the position they have. If other students are persuaded by a speaker they can change positions.

After a few minutes, summarize the ideas that have been presented.




Snowball

Description…

Flip chart papers are posted around the room. Each page has a different question to respond to, sentence to complete or other prompt for input.

Learners are divided into pairs or small groups (up to 6). Each pair or small group is given a marker.

Each group is situated at a different flip chart page and asked to write their responses on the sheet in front of them.

The facilitator calls “snowball” and each group rotates clockwise. They read what the previous group has written and add new ideas or different views.

The process continues until each group has rotated to all pages.

The facilitator leads a debriefing session. You may have each group summarize the page that they finish at and suggest possible implications, applications etc.

Make instructions clear at the beginning-- including purpose of the activity, directions on how and when to rotate etc.

Can be used for any size group, but logistics and “crowd control” are important for larger groups

Keep groups moving at a fairly fast pace. Each group contributes to the list but does not need to produce a comprehensive list alone

Quickly draws ideas from the group and makes them “public” so they can be used as a foundation for new learning, points of discussion etc.

Allows divergent views to emerge


Thanks to Allan Slater from Sheridan College who first demonstrated this strategy.



One Stay, Three Stray

Description…

Three members of the team rotate to other teams.

Student 1 moves 1 table, student 2 moves 2 tables and student 3 moves 3 tables.

Student 4 stays behind to present the team’s response to the visiting classmates.

Three students return and explain what they learned from the other groups to their team mates.

The procedure can be continued until all have presented the team response.

This can be modified in several ways—

Carousel—one student stays to share their teams work while the other three go to the team beside them and listen to their response. This can be repeated with each student taking a turn to stay and share with the visiting teams.

Roving Reporters—while students are working on projects or activities, one student from each team may, for a certain amount of time, be a “roving reporter” moving around the room to collect information from other teams that may be useful.




Some Resources for Further Exploration…

Additional Resources - books

Developing Learner-Centered Teaching: A Practical Guide for Faculty, 2008.Phyllis Blumberg, Maryellen Weimer (Forwarded by)This book presents a model and practical examples of Learner-Centered Teaching. Active and collaborative learning strategies are situated in a learner-centered paradigm that supports learner success.

Active Learning: Cooperation in the College Classroom, 2006David and Roger Johnson and Karl SmithThis book provides a comprehensive view of the use of formal cooperative learning lessons, informal cooperative learning groups, and cooperative base groups in the college classroom. Numerous specific lesson structures are included.

Cooperative Learning, Spencer and Miguel Kagan, 2009.Recently updated, this was one of the first books providing “how to” guidance and tools for teachers interested in cooperative learning. This book is written for the public school system but the structures and activities described can be easily adapted for college learners.

Additional Resources—websites

The Prof’s Resource site at Algonquin has collected several resources on cooperative learning. You can find it athttp://www.algonquincollege.com/profres/teaching/strategies.htm

Sheridan College has established a Cooperative Learning Network. Their website has links to several other rich resources for cooperative learning.http://www-acad.sheridanc.on.ca/scls/coop/cooplrn.htm

The Global Development Research Group has published a website that provides an excellent overview of collaborative learning.http://www.gdrc.org/kmgmt/c-learn/index.html

The Great Lakes Association of Cooperation in Education sponsors an annual conference on cooperative learning. Their website provides information and resources supporting cooperative learning as “engaging, effective and fun”. http://www.glacie.ca/


http://www.glacie.ca/

http://www.gdrc.org/kmgmt/c-learn/index.html

http://www-acad.sheridanc.on.ca/scls/coop/cooplrn.htm

http://www.algonquincollege.com/profres/teaching/strategies.htm

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