WORKSHOP - "Cooperative learning"

We have decided to present the subject : 

" Cooperative learning"

What is cooperative learning?                                                               By Maja And cathrine

According to Dr. Kagan Spencer is cooperative learning a teaching method that creates a new dynamic way through collaborative processes in the classroom. Cooperative learning can be used for every age. The students’ cooperation is organized in structures which step by step lead students through learning stages. The structure of cooperative learning creates personally learning processes that can make even the most tired pupil edge on the competition. In cooperative learning we are not sitting down all the time, the body must feel good, and the movement and the physical variation gives job satisfaction and increases the concentration and the memory of the pupil.

In cooperative learning we know that emotions and social relationships play a key role in the pupil’s achievements and well-being in the school. That’s why, working with social relationships and constructive behavior is constantly. This work provides any kind of academic subjects a new dimension which means teaching is never boring, even if the pupils think that the topic is.   

Cooperative learning involves:

·         Developing of social and professional competence.

·         Energy to learn in a safe environment.

·         Organized togetherness

·         Positive mutual dependence.

·         Respect in dealing with each other.

·         Team skills are developed.

·         Sense of responsibility.

·         Social skills acquired.

·         Ideas and results become a common concern.

·         The group does not exclude anyone.

Why is it important?

Through decades of research, cooperative learning has showed a lot of advantaged compered to others more traditionally teaching methods as the ordinary class lessons. Cooperative learning leads to improve individual academic performance, better collaborative skills, better development of independence and better problem-solving and creative thinking.

When you ask the teachers who use cooperative learning, they often tell that cooperative learning often changes the pupil’s behavior – both learning and socially – and develop potential and energy of each pupil. Cooperative learning creates a new way in school, which both is funny, personally developing and very professionally.

According to the research of Roberg Slavin (professor, director of center for research and reform in education) improves cooperative learning:

·          Improved results for weak, medium and strong students.

·         High motivation for all the students.

·         Reducing bullying and noise in the classroom.

·         Improved self-esteem

·         More friendships across boundaries.

·         Happier students and teachers.

How to work with Cooperative learning

When Cooperative learning are mentioned between teachers, the big discussion begins with the question:

- "Put these kids into groups? They are not ready to work together"...

But how can they become proficient unless they practice it?

Cooperative learning in practice can help children in all ages, as well as grownups, to work, and learn together. Through this method, you will avoid that children, who have difficulties in learning, writing, reading, mathematics and so on, being passive. If the children only have to listen while you are teaching, and then afterwards try to work individually with their assignments, that has been given to them, some of the children, will fall behind, maybe give up to fast, lose their confidence and they even might being teased, because they do badly. That is why a teacher needs to make different kinds of learning activities, and make sure that the children will be able to work together as friends.  

When you are working with Cl. there are four important principle you need to have focus on.

1)  interaction between the children/students, at the same time

2)  Positive interdependence between the children/students

3)  Individual accountability 

5) Equally participation

These principles combines the criteria for professional focus with a structural way to communicate on.

It is all about

- To make sure that every student/child is active in the same time, so they don't get bored.

- To make sure that everybody is positive interdependence, so that everyone helps one another, to succeed.

- To support that everybody, and every single student/child, gets motivated to achieve and reach their goals.

A good and successful environment

- When everybody is equally and can contribute in the class/groups

- The professionals should have a conscious focus on every student/child, to make sure that they indicate confidence and feels happy in there environments.

- That the team/students/children support each other

- That the class together makes sure, there is a good atmosphere

Quotation from different theoreticians

Positive interdependence (Johnson and Johnson 1991) is achieved  since each  participant

has a specific task and  to successfully perform the activity the students must not

only complete his or her own, but also ensure that their peers complete theirs. Success is

only achieved when all members reach their goal, which also assures joint rewards.

Through the application’s common screen, the children receive common feedback,

which acts as an awareness mechanism (Zurita and Nussbaum 2004). In this way, all

members in the small group know  if the task was achieved or not and are provided

opportunities to re-perform the task.

How to use Cooperative learning in practice

Methods

Cooperative learning are taking place, when every child are participating in the common activities. The Cl. method will strengthen the children's communicative and  interactive qualifications.

example 1.

Split the children into smaller groups. About 4 -6 children in each group.

Or split them up and make to and to partnerships.  

Make sure, that every child in the group have different skills, so they can learn from each other. 

The teacher should choose a subject. For example the body. There will be two teams. The first one have some books about the body. The second team can for example paint or, dance but with focus on the body. The different kinds of teams, supports the children's different kinds of ways to learn.

Six children are sitting in a corner studying the books about the body. They all have there own book, but the books they all are studying, are different.

Now the teacher will make a structure in this social process. It could be:

2 kids: Look into your book individually. (Take time on it). Afterwards, try to talk to one of your classmates about what you see in the book. (This is interaction and equally participation).

4 kids: After the two classmates have shared their stories, they can go together, to talk with two other classmates, and share their new knowledge from the books. (  This is Positive interdependency and Individual accountability. )

Example 2.

The process is the same as in example 1, except when the children are sharing their new knowledge between 4 kids.

4 kids: Tell the children that they should try to find to subjects/things, that they are finding exiting, important, interesting, nasty.. and so on. Together the children will sit and paint something about it. Afterwards the children will talk about why they think like they do, about the subject.  As a teacher you could hang their paintings on the wall. (This is Positive interdependency and Individual accountability. )

There are lot of other options, than painting there new knowledge. It could be for example, movement, building something, or playing a game.

Observations from Practice in the kindergarten.

Different ways to learn.

The children are sitting still and listening a lot, and are working individually with their assignments. Cl method and focus on different kind of ways to learn, in smaller groups among the children, would make the children establish good relations, social skills, friendships, and confidence in trying to achieve their goals. Everybody will have an important role in their team, and nobody will be excluded.

The Cl. method have to be practiced a lot among the children, because the social skills, does not appears by itself, and the dialogue, where the children are shifting to talk, needs practicing. The social aspect is an important element for learning, motivation and well being. Smaller kids will not always be able to follow the structure in the team or with their classmate in group, that is here the teachers should be guiding the children by being patience, and give appreciation.

When many children are split into teams in the same area, there can be a lot of noise, which can be disturbing, but when we are focused on something, we are capable to concentrate without noticing the noise.

How to handle Cl.

Cooperative learning should be a part of  the professionals practice, by interests, and  not by forced decision. It is important that the teachers and other professions have the desire to learn about it, and achieving knowledge about Cl. because of interests.

A good way to develop Cl. is to make sure that teachers will exchange information and experience, and it is important that the teachers finds the method  interesting and fun. Different schools, institutions or companies, should meet and together exchanges ideas, and use them in their practice.

The school principal should be a part of the teams, where teachers are sharing experience about the Cl. method. By being a part of it, the principal can get ideas how to support the teachers, when they are using Cl. in practice. It could for example be, how the physical environment should be, and how an suitable culture for meetings could be created.  

Support each other

The principal can contribute positively to this process, by being very clear about telling the teachers, that it is alright to have a little less focus on the teaching subjects in school, and instead, being focused on the teaching environment. When cooperative learning is positive functional, everybody will see the good investment and joy, when the results of the children's learning skills are growing.

 To be comfort in teaching environment

Cl. have to be an positive function in practice, and there for, it is an important requisite, that the teachers and the students/children, are working together, to make sure that an comfortable environment is a part of the practice and will continue. It can be a big issue for the teachers, if they decides to push themselves and the children/students into new professional subjects, way too quickly, without being prepared.

Intellectual, we all do understand, that we need to spend a lot of time, to make a comfortable environment, with the feeling of safety among the students. But if we get to focused on the professional teaching subjects, we will forget our knowledge, and the important sentence " happy brains, are the best to learn". When first the mentally healthy and comfortable environment exists among students/children, there learning progress will grow very fast. 

Practical arrangement of the classroom

When you are housing cooperative learning it’s very important how the arrangement in the classroom is, so the children get the best ways to learn.

·         The furnishings are important.

·         You will get a negative signal value if there is non-optimal framework.

·         Students should be physically oriented to each other. (cooperation is the norm)

·         Tables should stand in groups of 4.

·         Everyone should be able to see the board.

Observations from Practice in the kindergarten.

Mix the teaching with activities.

Funny activities with learning included could be a part of the daily practice for the hole class. Sometimes the children are split in two groups. It is important that both groups are active, so the children doesn't have to wait, and be bored.

Know when to stop.

It is important that the teacher are able to stop the activity when she sees, that the children's concentration falls. Even if the activity isn't finished. It is better to continue another day, than finishing a game where the children can't focus anymore.

Do yourself and the children/students a favor.

Some days, the children are very restlessness, and it can be hard for them to concentrate about anything. The teacher should decide for herself if it is better, to let the children out in the fresh air to play, so they can concentrate better afterwards.

Observations of activities which has elements of cooperative learning

Some observations of activities which has elements of cooperative learning in them:

It’s a really good way when you in the English class, teach the children English while they are singing and using their body language.  Here they are not just sitting still, but are learning through activities.

If it is going to be cooperative learning: They can dance to and to and then switch every time there is a new word. For example when they are singing if “you happy clap your hands”, they can sing it to each other and when it’s “angry” they can get a new partner. 

In the class they sometimes teach in how to be nice to each other through massage. They have to find together to and to, and then one of the children is massaging the other child. The teacher makes a story, for example they have to make a pizza, and the child who lies down is the pizza. The child who is massaging is the baker. It’s very important every time you are doing the massage that the children are together with a different partner. Here they learn to be social, and tender to each other. In Denmark you say that “you don’t bully the one you touch”.

If it is going to be cooperative learning: They can learn different ingredients that they have to say loud every time they are pouting it on the pizza.  

The Movement game:

With the movement game you will get a good way to work with movement as a part of teaching while they learn. The game can be adjusted to every subject or class.

The game exists of a game board with 100 squares. The pupils play the game in small groups that consists of 3-4 pupils. Every square has a color that has a little task attached. For example if you land on a red square, you have to do the assignment that follows. 

Fruit salad game:

Form a circle of for example rings or chairs. There has to be one chair fewer than the total number of players. Nominate a player to be 'in', that player stands in the center of the circle.
Divide all players into three groups of fruit by going around the circle and naming them example bananas, apple and orange
the player who is 'in', calls the name of a fruit.
If he calls out apples, everyone who is that fruit must get up quickly and change places.
Players who are not apples remain seated or standing.
The person who is 'in' tries to sit/stand in an empty spot whenever players swap positions.
If they manage to sit or stand in a chair or ring, the player not sitting in a chair or got a ring is now 'in'. The person in the middle can also call 'fruit salad' and everyone who is seated has to change spots.

Who am I:

Form a circle, in the center of the circle there is a bottle. One of the children is going to snore the bottle, the one the bottle is pointing at, have to stand up and get a card or a word from the teacher. For example can the word or the card be superman, and then the child has to show superman with his body language. The other children have to guess what the child represents. When the other children have guessed what the child has represented, it is his turn to snore the bottle. And so on.