Enhancing Collaboration in

the World Languages

Classrooms

Presenter: Juanita Pérez

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Food for Thoughts…

"Reflective teaching must be based on

evidence of student learning and reflection

is most powerful when it is collaborative."

- John Hattie, 2009

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AGENDA

Greetings

Ice Breaker Activity

Read Aloud

Learning Goals

Foreign Language Rings and Standards

Basic Elements of Cooperative Learning

Making it work!

Review

Questions and Answers

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ICE BREAKER ACTIVITY

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READ ALOUD

THE ANIMAL SCHOOL

By George H. Reavis

http://animoto.com/play/sqU2tG4qK1WzYu

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LEARNING GOALSAt the end of this workshop the participants will be able to:

Understand the difference between Cooperative Learning

and Group work,

Share knowledge with other participants through a variety

of structures.

Reflect on their teaching in the classroom

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LEARNING GOALS

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What is Cooperative Learning?

Cooperative Learning is a part of a group teaching/learning

techniques where students interact with each other to acquire and

practice the elements of a subject matter and to meet common

learning goals. It is more than just putting students into groups or

teams and wishing for the best.

It is a very formal way of structuring activities in a learning

environment that includes specific elements needed to increase the

potential for rich and deep learning by the participants.

It is about moving from rote learning to learning how to think

critically and in changing circumstances.

It needs to be used consistently and in an organized way.

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“The process by which a room full of individuals with

different backgrounds and experiences become a caring

community of active learners.”

Group Work, Collaboration and Cooperative

Group Work- The teacher assigns a group project, outlines the task, and gives a

deadline for completion. Students are expected to work together and participate

equally.

Collaborative learning - a method of teaching and learning in which students

team together to explore a significant question or create a meaningful project.

Examples: A group of students discussing a lecture or students from different

schools working together over the Internet on a shared assignment.

Cooperative learning - a specific kind of collaborative learning. In cooperative

learning, students work together in small group son a structured activity. They are

individually accountable for their work, and the work of the group as a whole is

assessed. Cooperative works face-to-face and learn to work as a team.

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When do we use Cooperative Learning?

“Whenever problem solving is desired, whenever divergent thinking or creativity is desired. Whenever quality or performance is expected, whenever the task is complex. When the learning goals are highly important, and when the social development of learners is one of the major instructional goals…

When an instructor wishes to promote positive interaction among learners, a facilitative learning climate, a wide range of cognitive and affective outcomes, and positive relations between themselves and the learners…”

From Learning Together and Alone, David w. Johnson, Roger T. Johnson

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Benefits

Everyone feels their input is important

Everyone has to participate

Everyone is accountable

Keep everyone on task

Work smarter and not harder/ deep critical thinking

Is Fun

Is Non threatening

Use of multiple intelligences

Work on and Practice communication skills and people

skills

Respect and listen to others’opinion and ideas 13

Five Essential Elements

Positive Interdependence

Face-to-face interactions

Individual accountability

Structured Activity

Team-building (group processing) skills

Note: Research shows that both competitive

and cooperative interaction are a healthy part

of a child’s repertoire of behavior.

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In Conclusion…

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Cooperation: WE sink or swim

together

Competition: I swim, you sink, I

sink, You swim

Individualistic: We are each in this

alone

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MAKING IT WORK !

Strategies that work!

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Three-Step Interview

Step One: One Way Interview

Students are in pairs, one is the interviewer, the other is the interviewee.

The interviewer takes notes of the responses to use for paraphrasing later

to the whole group.

Step Two: The Reverse

Students reverse roles.

Step Three: Roundrobin

Students paraphrase what they have learned about their teammate to their

teams.

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Silent Card Shuffle

Viewing a Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGimtrwVF1g

Refer to your worksheet

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SAME / Different

Each pair of students (A /B opposite side) on a team of

four will receive a picture that are basically the same

with a variety of specific differences that when

discovered will elicit use of target vocabulary and

grammatical structures.

A barrier will be placed between them so that they cannot

see the other pair´s paper.

Students will receive a Worksheet where they will write

the differences they find.

Students will take turns making statements about their

picture that the other team members confirm or amend to

discover the differences. 21

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words!A Travel Agency has a contest for students to créate a postcard selling their favorite

countries. Therefore,

Each participant will design his/her own creative postcard to sell his/her favorite

country.

Each participant will describe the picture to their teammates.

After the discussion, each participant will write a persuasive letter to the Travel

Agency to convince them in why his/her postcard should be selected as the winner.

Students can read their letters to the group and students can react to it.

(Use the Cards – When expressing your opinión)

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Let’s Have Fun! AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER

With zero visibility, they are not to crush. Pilot or Biplane must relay on Air

Traffic Controller

1. Players are in pairs, one is the Pilot, the other one is the Air traffic Controller.

Pilot simulates being in a plane by extending both arms out to form wings. Air

Traffic Controller stands in one place to call out directions to the pilot.

2. Zero Visibility

Pilot has zero visibility (blindfolded or closed eyes) and must rely entirely on

verbal instructions of the Air Traffic Controller to navigate the plane around

the room.

3. Ground to Pilot

AirTraffic Controller may give instructions like, ¨”Stop!”,”There is a plane

approaching your airspace from the right (left)”, “Continue”, “Reverse”, etc.

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Match Mine/ Body Parts Partners sit on the opposite sides of a barrier with identical game boards and

game pieces.

Partner ____will arrange game pieces on game board while Partner ___ awaits

quietly.

One will be the sender, and the other will be the receiver.

Sender gives the Receiver a word and number to match the Sender’s

arrangement of game pieces on the game board.

When finished, partners set game boards side by side to compare for accuracy.

Receiver and Sender develop improvement strategies.

Roles are exchanged and the game is played again.

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Review and Questions

Wrapping-up the lesson:

How does this new learning fit in what you

already know?

How will you apply what you have learned today

in your WL classroom?

Reflecting on your teaching, what can you gather?

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THANK YOU FOR ATTENDING And FOR

YOUR PARTICIPATION TONIGHT

YOU ARE ALSO AWESOME!!!

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Resources

Cooperative Learning Group Activities for College Courses

Kagan Strategies

Silly Sports and Goofy Games (Kagan)

The Animal School

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGimtrwVF1g

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