ALL PARTICIPANTS PLEASE READ THE NOTE BELOW!!!
Although your course packet asks you to post to blog for parts A, B, C, and D…we are asking that you only post part D to the blog (especially since it's summer term and many of us aren't working with students). We’re also trying to make the blog more user-friendly and easier to read. Thanks!
A. Self Assessment of Current Beliefs and Practices: This component asks you to reflect on how and why you currently use the instructional strategy of Cooperative Learning in your classroom. The intent of this is to activate your prior knowledge of your strategy use so that you can make comparisons as you read the chapter. Below are the questions to help you complete your self-assessment. After completing your self assessment please post a thought or two as a comment (click on comment link below) to this posting labeled Week Seven: Cooperative Learning.
• What is your purpose for using cooperative learning in your classroom?
• What kind of cooperative learning activities do you use with your students?
• Think of a time when you used cooperative learning and was pleased with the results. Why did it work well?
• Think of a time when you used cooperative learning and was not pleased with the results. Why didn’t it work well?
B. Read & Reflect “Research & Theory”: This portion of the assignment asks you to read chapter 7 and reflect briefly on your thinking after reading the “Research and Theory” section for Cooperative Learning After completing your chapter reflection, please post it as a comment (click on comment link below) in the posting labeled Week Seven: Cooperative Learning.
C. Practice: Choose one of the specific “classroom practice” strategies or techniques shared in this chapter to try out with your students (If you are not currently teaching, you may share how you would use this strategy in your classroom). Please post a brief reflection of how this went to the posting labeled Week Seven: Cooperative Learning. Click on the “comment” link below.
D. Final Strategy Reflection: Use the following sequence of questions/prompts to reflect on what you’ve learned about both the strategies presented in the chapter and what you’ve learned about yourself as both a teacher and a learner. Please post your brief reflection to the posting labeled Week Seven: Cooperative Learning by clicking on the “comment” link below.
How has the information you read in this chapter on Cooperative Learning effected your thinking about teaching and learning? What have you learned about yourself as a teacher and learner? Use the following questions to assist you in writing a brief strategy reflection:
• How might I change how use cooperative learning in my classroom?
• What is something you now understand better about cooperative learning?
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27 comments:
Assignment #7: Cooperative Learning
Marika Conrad
Wow! I didn’t realize cooperative learning could yield such amazing results. The fact that cooperative learning has “an effect size of .78 when compared with instructional strategies in which students work on tasks individually without competing with another” is pretty phenomenal! I’m glad I include it as one way I help the students in my classroom learn. The points the text made about making groups based on ability and not overusing cooperative learning were some ideas I will really remember from the text. I feel like I do a good job of matching my students up for the most part when they work together and I don’t feel like I use cooperative learning to the point where my students feel frustrated with it. I think the biggest key to making cooperative learning work at all is to build a strong community within your classroom starting from the first day of school. If students don’t trust each other, have a set of expectations in place (my class creates their own constitution), and embrace the idea that they are a team, then one can’t expect cooperative learning to be successful.
There are many times throughout the day when I ask my students to work together. It might be within their table groups, it might be the person sitting next to them on the carpet, and it might be a partner they have for math. I mix up my math partners for every unit and place students with each other based on their pre-assessment performance. I find that I do place some homogenous pairings in math, but only because I’ve seen how unsuccessful placing the lowest math student with the highest math student turned out. What I end up doing is placing some middle with high and some low with middle, but not typically a low with a high. The great thing about mixing things up for every unit is that every student’s background in a particular unit varies. Thus, the pool of students they will be partnered with changes from unit to unit. I agree with the text in that smaller groups are more successful, so I always keep my groups at 2, 3, 4, and sometimes a random group of 5, but never more than that.
Students already do a lot of cooperative group projects and activities in my classroom, but there are a few ways I would like to improve the use of cooperative learning in my classroom in regards to partnering. One way I want to change up how I use cooperative learning this year is to create cooperative learning groups for partner reading, so that students can support each other in their fluency development. I also want to partners for writing, so that students have a “go to” resource for ideas, support, and editing. Reading and writing partners would be switched three times a year, once a trimester.
Currently, I use my clicker system to randomly assign partners or I’ll draw sticks. Another SIOP strategy that I learned this spring was the sticker system. I have note cards with different stickers on them that either partners students up into groups of 2, 3, or 4. I love the sticker cards because they are random, students never know how I am going to partner them up, they love getting up to move around and find their partners, and it takes me out of the equation. The cards are also two different colors, so if I am feeling really generous, I can give students the choice to find someone with the same color card or a different color card to partner with. What’s amazing about random partnering is that whatever system I use, it always seems to group students up within great mixed abilities and students buy in with the random placement.
I’ve always seen the power of cooperative grouping in my room with not only helping students learn the curriculum, but also practicing strategies of compromise, teamwork, and friendship. Teaching students how to learn and teaching them the knowledge is important. But, teaching students how to interact positively with each other—that’s a skill that will allow them to be successful in life.
Assignment 7: Cooperative Learning – Paula Stepankowsky
To be honest, I have been somewhat skeptical of the value of cooperative learning so far in my teaching career. When I observed my CTs use it during student teaching, it appeared to be overused, unstructured, and the students didn’t stay on task very well. At my school, it is used a lot, but it seems that it can be chaotic if not structured well, and to structure it well takes a lot of class time, something I don’t have to spare. However, after reading this chapter, I will begin using it on an informal, limited basis and in groups no larger than three for targeted assignments.
The chapter presents some compelling evidence that cooperative learning can be helpful in very structured circumstances. I found it interesting that grouping students by ability isn’t particularly helpful to anyone other than students in the middle. I can see how grouping by a variety of abilities can be helpful. In my limited experience, however, I have found that highly organized and focused students soon become tired of always carrying the load for the entire group if each individual is not held responsible. This is where it becomes so important for the teacher to assess not only group performance but also individual performance inside the group. This is why a group of no more than three seems to be ideal, because there is no place for students to hide if they aren’t doing their part in the group. The research also supports systematic use of group work, at least once a week.
The advice to use a variety of grouping criteria is good as students become weary of always being in the same group, it seems. Based on the information provided in the chapter, I will experiment with groups of three once a week in my classroom in the fall with a targeted, limited assignment. Based on the results from this, I will explore other opportunities for group work. Again, other teachers in my school use a LOT of group work, so it isn’t as if students aren’t getting it. It just seems that with subjects such as grammar, students should work individually to figure out an assignment before asking someone else the answer.
What I do need help with is how to make writing workshop days more effective, and grouping might help with this. When I am teaching the expository essay, for example, I will teach them the purpose, structure, outline, etc., and then I will ask them to do their own outline on a topic of their choice in class. I monitor students individually and give them help as they ask for it. Since there are 24 of them, in 7th grade at least, and one of me, it can get noisy as some students quickly complete their outlines while others need more help. Those who finish early are asked to do a reading assignment, etc., and not bother their neighbors who are still working on their outlines. But, of course, they often can’t resist the temptation to start talking. Maybe I should have them do their outlines in groups of three? I don’t know if this would raise the decibel level from the outset, however, and/or make it more difficult for me to identify which students need help. Any advice out there?
I really enjoyed reading this chapter specifically for the reason that cooperative learning is something that I have always known to be beneficial but I feel that I have never had much guidance in how to run cooperative learning groups that are appropriate for my teaching practice. I have observed other teachers that have used it in various ways and there were bits and pieces I was able to take away from it but overall I still felt that I had a very haphazard approach in implementing groups. For chemistry I have usually had students work in no more than groups of two unless a lab or an activity specifically calls for the need of 3 or more students. In my observations I have seen that groups of two or more usually follow the 80-20 rule where 80% of the work is done by 20% of the people. But I think much of this can be attributed to not clearly defining roles in these situations. This would be the first thing I would significantly change in how I utilize group based activity or paired work in my lessons.
I think even with their lab partner, I have to focus more on mixing ability levels during group work situations. I have at times allowed students to pair up or work in groups by choice but I found that productivity and focus tends to go down in these situations. Most of the activities the students have been assigned a lab partner to work with who is usually sitting next to them. I tried mixing ability levels in these situations this year and have found out mixed results but again I believe much of this can be attributed to clearly defining roles or tasks during these situations.
Reading this chapter has definitely given me some ideas on what I can improve for the upcoming school year however I wish they would have elaborated more on accountability for individuals in group work situations. I think one of the challenges and frustrations for me is seeing where one student is tending to do the majority of the work and others tend to just go along for the ride. This isn’t every group and for the most part I feel that most of them do what they should be doing but I guess it is my hope that I would be able to instill the importance of understanding the learning objectives as well as the life lessons and values that can be learned group work.
David Lee
Assignment #7: Cooperative Learning
Assignment 7: Cooperative Learning – Paula Stepankowsky
To be honest, I have been somewhat skeptical of the value of cooperative learning so far in my teaching career. When I observed my CTs use it during student teaching, it appeared to be overused, unstructured, and the students didn’t stay on task very well. At my school, it is used a lot, but it seems that it can be chaotic if not structured well, and to structure it well takes a lot of class time, something I don’t have to spare. However, after reading this chapter, I will begin using it on an informal, limited basis and in groups no larger than three for targeted assignments.
The chapter presents some compelling evidence that cooperative learning can be helpful in very structured circumstances. I found it interesting that grouping students by ability isn’t particularly helpful to anyone other than students in the middle. I can see how grouping by a variety of abilities can be helpful. In my limited experience, however, I have found that highly organized and focused students soon become tired of always carrying the load for the entire group if each individual is not held responsible. This is where it becomes so important for the teacher to assess not only group performance but also individual performance inside the group. This is why a group of no more than three seems to be ideal, because there is no place for students to hide if they aren’t doing their part in the group. The research also supports systematic use of group work, at least once a week.
The advice to use a variety of grouping criteria is good as students become weary of always being in the same group, it seems. Based on the information provided in the chapter, I will experiment with groups of three once a week in my classroom in the fall with a targeted, limited assignment. Based on the results from this, I will explore other opportunities for group work. Again, other teachers in my school use a LOT of group work, so it isn’t as if students aren’t getting it. It just seems that with subjects such as grammar, students should work individually to figure out an assignment before asking someone else the answer.
What I do need help with is how to make writing workshop days more effective, and grouping might help with this. When I am teaching the expository essay, for example, I will teach them the purpose, structure, outline, etc., and then I will ask them to do their own outline on a topic of their choice in class. I monitor students individually and give them help as they ask for it. Since there are 24 of them, in 7th grade at least, and one of me, it can get noisy as some students quickly complete their outlines while others need more help. Those who finish early are asked to do a reading assignment, etc., and not bother their neighbors who are still working on their outlines. But, of course, they often can’t resist the temptation to start talking. Maybe I should have them do their outlines in groups of three? I don’t know if this would raise the decibel level from the outset, however, and/or make it more difficult for me to identify which students need help. Any advice out there?
Marti Severson
Assignment #7 Cooperative Learning
Paula, I do not have any great ideas for you on cooperative learning. I have tried cooperative learning activities and I believe in it, but I haven't been that successful with it. After the reading, I learned I must keep group size to a minimum, 2, 3 or 4. It must be structured and not-overused. When I have used it in the past, my lesson wasn’t as organized and clear as it needed to be. My class loves to think-pair-share and talk over answers with a small group before a response is given (I like this too). In math, I have students work with a buddy or two to solve a complex problem, but it is very informal.
I found it interesting that students that benefited the most from homogeneous groupings were those in the middle. We do use it sparingly at our school, mostly in reading and language groups, but I sensed it was not very successful for my students in the lower-ability groups. I know that very high-ability students need to work with other kids at their level at times too. I am always looking for interesting ways to randomly group my students to make learning more fun and exciting. I liked the Base-Group idea from the book, but that would take me considerable time and planning to make it work. I am willing to do this, but I need to read more about it, and fine-tune the details to feel comfortable with it.
I use cooperative learning fairly regularly, though I use pairs more often. I do like groups of 3- the magic number- someone is always left twiddling their thumbs in a group of 4. What I liked about this chapter was the five defining elements of cooperative learning. Teaching these elements to the students will help them to be focused and comfortable in a cooperative learning group. I think a poster of these concepts for them to refer to would be great.
In my experience, cooperative groups are most effective when they have roles within the group. If they start off deciding who is the recorder, the getter, and the artist (or something like that), then it helps them to be accountable and feel useful. The most common complaint I get is that "So and so isn't letting me do anything" in the group, so assigning roles ahead of time really helps. I don't always do that though, and I plan to do that more often.
I usually make heterogeneous groups, and I mix them up often. Students need to have the variety of working with different people. I was intrigued by the idea of base groups though. This would be a nice way of having the kids keep each other accountable for certain things like completing classroom jobs and writing down their homework assignments properly. My only hesitation about implementing this in my classroom is time. Do I have 10 extra minutes of my day to devote to base group check-in? Perhaps they could just check in once per day. I think I have time for that.
I am not particularly comfortable assigning students to cooperative learning groups for long-term projects. Long-term projects equals homework, and I wouldn't expect students to get together outside of class time to continue working.Last year kids could choose to work with one partner for a large science project. Many students did fine, but there were some problems when less reliable students wouldn't get together with their partners outside of the school day. I think I'll continue to use cooperative learning groups for shorter term assignments.
Thanks Marika, David, Paula, Marti, and Amy for your reflections on cooperative learning.
Marika – I completely agree with your comment that classroom community has a large effect on the success of the cooperative groups in your classroom (by the way, I always created a “class constitution” with my classrooms as well :)). It seems as though you’ve been very successful in using different forms of cooperative groups in your classroom all along. Using partnerships in reading is extremely beneficial in reading. As you mentioned, it’s a great way to support fluency work as well as provide time for kids to talk about their reading and thinking. There are two resources I’ve used. The first is called Partner Reading: A Way to Help All Readers Grow by Allyson Daley. The second is a book by Kathy Collins called Reading for Real: Teach Students to Read with Power, Intention, and Joy in K-3. I know the book says K-3, but it really is a great resource for any elementary grade.
David – I’m glad that this chapter has given you more solid guidelines for such an effective strategy that I think is so often inappropriately used. As you mentioned, one of the biggest keys for success is to clearly define the roles and expectations for the group. If you invest the time into this, you will be much more successful with both your curriculum and life skills. Best of luck as you try out some of these new strategies!
Paula – It sounds as though you may be struggling with some of the same issues that David was grappling with..possibly undefined roles and expectations if you feel that everything is too loosey goosey. As with everything in educations your groupings should be balanced (whole, small, and individual). It’s hard for me to answer your question about group in expository without being too long winded. I think it’s great for students to have writing partners that support them during the revision and editing portions of the process. You may also consider pulling strategy groups based on similar needs rather than doing all 1:1 conferences (a mix) to help you with your large class size. To solve the problem of chatting when kids are “done” with a piece…if they’ve taken it through all of the stages of the writing process (choosing, drafting, revising, editing, (publishing – at least piece per unit of study), kids can go back and choose another topic. There should be no down time. It’s really a never ending cycle. Mary and I teach a course call Essentials of Writing if you are ever interested in more info :)
Marti – I definitely think that you will find more success as you try to keep the size of your groups down as well as set those clear expectations and roles as we discussed above. Think-Pair-Share is a great strategy to use across the content areas! If you are looking for an additional resource on cooperative learning, try: Cooperative Learning in the Classroom by David Johnson, Roger Johnson and Edythe Johnson Holubec.
Amy – Having an anchor chart on the expectations and rules of cooperative groups is a great idea for ALL grade levels. You mentioned some work you do with roles in groups. You should definitely check out Harvey Daniel’s books. He’s got a new one titled, Comprehension and Collaboration: Inquiry Circles in Action (with Stephanie Harvey) and his revised version of Literature Circles: Voice and Choice in Book Clubs and Reading Groups.
I can't find questions 8-10. I can usually scroll down to the bottom and click on newer posts, but I don't see "newer Posts." Can someone help me with this?
Marti: Thanks for sharing your experiences. It is clear that cooperative learning can be very effective if structured correctly. I wonder if there is any more recent research on this topic. Does anyone know? Paula
Due to behavior issues and personality clashes cooperative learning is one method I have not had a lot of success with in my classroom. That said this chapter helped me realize I DO cooperative learning, every morning during Morning Meeting. However, I have almost half my class being replaced this fall with 5 incoming 6th graders. What a great time to try the base group idea to help transition 6th graders to middle school life and let my 7th and 8th graders be the helpers! So I am definitely planning on using this form of cooperative learning. Again, as with the last chapter, I realize I need to let the students do more for themselves. After modeling, and practicing it will be time to let them find their own ways to learn together also. I might also try mixing my great decoders/low comprehension readers with the ones who get it, if they don’t have to try to read it themselves. My good decoders tend to be on the autism spectrum and often are not good working in groups. This would give them some practice at being the successful in this situation. Groups in my room, would probably be groups of 2.
Regardless of lots of exposure to cooperative learning information, I tended to still think cooperative learning=group projects. This chapter helped me realize there are many more forms of cooperative learning that I can at least try to use in my class. Adapting these ideas for the students in my classroom could really add to their learning. As a life skills teacher, I am taken with the real life situations in which this learning will continue to take place. They will need to work with at least one other person (eg. job coach for example) as they go through high school and into their adult life. They will also be put into group situations, whether at their jobs, recreational activities, in their families or group home. Using some of the ideas in this chapter gives me the opportunity to teach them how to be successful in these situations. Having the research to back it and the comments of others on this blog, will help remind me be more consitent and pro-active about using cooperative learning opportunities.
@Marika I agree whole heartedly with your comment about building community from day one. I have really noticed the difference by doing that.
@Lee Ditto on the lack of guidance. Often we are given a huge list of the newest great things to do in our class but left to figure out how to do it on our own.
With less plan time and more emphasis on assessment (a good thing but very time consuming) it gets harder and harder to add new things into classroom routines. Classes like this really help me remember to try go back and try new things - even if only 1 or 2 per year actually stick.
@Marti - I agree about needing to plan the base group idea. It sounds great on paper but I want to have some ideas formed and actual lesson laid out first.
@Jackie and Mary - I will be checking out the Partner Reading and Reading for Real books. The K-3 should work fine as that is the reading level most of my students are at. It is hard finding appropriate remedial reading materials for my students. That is why I focus on non-fiction. I am about to write my own series of books, leaving out the bunnies and kittens and references to third grade. My students are still middle schoolers, even if they are reading at the 2nd grade level.
Sorry, I have been forgetting. Last two comments are from Chapter #7 Cooperative Learning
from Robin Rose.
I too have not used cooperative learning very often over the years. I feel it has a lot to do with the age and population I teach. I also have some difficulty letting go of control in my classroom to some extent. Many times when I use cooperative learning in my first grade classroom, things get off track very quickly, even when I feel I’ve outlined and structured the team task pretty well. Again, I believe it has a lot to with age, maturity and past experience interacting with peers.
So, I tend to use much more informal groups when using cooperative learning strategies. I regularly ask my students to work together – within table groups, partners during math and reading, and pair-share opportunities on carpet. These are mostly heterogeneous learning experiences. But I do use ability grouping for targeted reading instruction. I feel this is the best way to address specific skills amongst students with similar strengths and weaknesses in reading, (especially at this level).
I am most curious about base grouping, something I am not as familiar with. It does seem like these types of long-term groups would build a sense of commonality and community amongst students. I will be brainstorming these next few weeks before school starts back up, ways that I can create and organize base groups in my first grade classroom.
All in all, this chapter does affirm that cooperative learning is an important and powerful instructional strategy. I will definitely experiment with grouping students in new ways this school year. More importantly, I realize that such groupings would benefit my students in many areas and there is research to support this.
Theresa Muller
Assignment #7
Cooperative Learning
Erinn Carrillo
Assignment 7
Cooperative Learning
I am not sure how I will personally use Cooperative Learning strategies with my smaller group ELL students. At this point, much of what we do is cooperative and informal. However, in regards to English Language Development, we are mandated to keep children within 2 levels of each other. It is very specific and children work with groups of children close to their language learning levels.
The way I see this strategy working for me in the next school year is when I work with students and teachers in the regular classroom. I will incorporate the strategies for content learning groups. I will work to keep my ELL students in appropriate groupings in their classrooms. Although it seems like the lower English learners should be grouped together, I will work to have them work with students of varying abilities. Most of our teachers are using GLAD strategies which lend nicely to Cooperative Learning.
Ashley Madison
Assignment #7
Cooperative Learning
I am with David and Paula on this one. I get it, and research proves that it works, but I don’t really like it and kind of struggle with finding the right place for it. (David and Paula said this much more eloquently.) I have group lessons, and they are fun and productive…and I am always exhausted at the end of the day. They are a management workout.
In previous chapters, many of us have mentioned SIOP, and this is another chapter that reminds me of my SIOP training. Even though we put so much energy into getting students to be quiet, talking (when it is on topic) is part of the language acquisition process that not only helps language learners learn, but also helps all students process information. Some of the information I liked to read was about having small groups, and not to overuse group learning. Whew. I am very comfortable with pairing, turn to your neighbor type groups. This is easy to manage and effective. For more organized group work, once I do a good four-person seating chart, I keep it and we come back to it each time my curriculum calls for groups. They will usually stay in groups for two to four lessons, and after reading this chapter, that sounds about right…except for the base group idea. I cannot imagine doing a base group activity where students exchange phone numbers and schedules. Ugh. I certainly use a variety of criteria to create my more formal groups—how they get along together is definitely a big part of it. One of my little tricks is gender grouping, which is not discussed in this chapter. Girls work with girls, boys with boys. Maybe it’s a 7th grade thing, but there is a lot more equal, on task participation in gender-specific groups, and that is not mentioned in the research here. The main thing I understand better about cooperative learning is that it is flexible and there are a variety of ways it can be applied.
Ashley: You made an interesting observation about grouping girls together and boys together. I also teach middle school, and this would be an interesting concept to try with this age group as they are so easily distracted. Does anyone know of additional research about same-sex grouping in the general classroom? Paula
Thanks Robin, Theresa, Erinn, and Ashley for adding your comments about cooperative learning!
Robin – I think it is a super idea to use base groups to help with the transitional period for the new 6th graders. It will be beneficial for everyone one of your students. I think more than anything, the social aspect of cooperative learning would be at the heart of you “life skills” program, helping them navigate social interactions for both the present and future. Oh…and by the way… shoot me an email when you write those books :)
Theresa – I do think that there are certain personalities of teachers that work better with cooperative learning than others, just as there are teachers who having varying levels of noise tolerance. You do after a point have to be OK giving control (with guidance) over to the students, in order for cooperative learning to be successful. How about considering a longer term project within your science or social studies curriculum to try out the base groups?
Erinn - I think using cooperative grouping as you push-into classrooms is a great idea. I’m not sure how much time you are able to spend co-planning with the classroom teacher. You’re the expert, but as many opportunities that you can provide learning in a social environment, where they’re exposed to language is great!
Ashley – It’s OK that cooperative learning isn’t your “go to” strategy for learning, as I said to Theresa; I think that you need to have a certain personality and tolerance to feel that it’s effective in your room. An interesting idea you have about gender grouping…I’m thinking in the middle school grades especially, this might be an effective idea for some groups.
When I think of cooperative learning I have always had mixed feelings about it. After reading this text it amazed me how effective it can be. As I reflect back to my experiences with cooperative learning as a student, I remember at times the tasks falling on one student who was usually the high-ability learner. I also remember being a more timid student and I was one that did not like to be on the spot or ask questions. I remember feeling safe and more comfortable asking my peers questions about class work that I did not understand. I believe I was the medium-ability student who benefited the most from the homogenous grouping as referred to in the text.
Since, I have not had my own classroom I don’t have any classroom experiences to share. I do feel that my experiences as a student help me as far as knowing what may work and not work. What I really took from the reading is making sure everyone has a role, so that everyone knows and understands their task. Especially, since some students automatically become leaders and some are followers. This takes me back to why at times I felt the groups worked and at other times it didn’t. I also can see how the overuse of cooperative learning is not good. It is important for students to have time to work independently. I also can see how organizing the groups by ability levels can make a difference and keeping the groups small. After reading this chapter a lot of things have become clear to me.
Before reading this chapter I had no idea how powerful cooperative learning could be.
I also love how Marika said building a strong community starting the first day of school within your classroom was the key to cooperative learning. This is something I will remember if I ever have my own classroom.
Sara Malvar
Assignment #7 Cooperative Learning
Sara: Thanks for the insight about your experiences. It helps clarify the strategy from a variety of perspectives.
In my school everyone has been encouraged to use cooperative learning in nearly every content area. The partner reading for fluency I have found to be quite effective, partnering for math tasks has been another place that this kind of learning fits well. I have struggled to incorporate it into my writing block except for peer editing. Writing seems to be a much more individualistic activity. The absolute key is setting up a safe and respectful classroom. Students need to feel safe making mistakes or taking risks in their learning. I also explain to my higher ability students that to teach someone else a concept requires a deeper understanding than just learning the concept. I explain that people learn best from each other…especially children and that everyone in our class is responsible for helping someone else learn. I know it sounds idealistic but I think you will be surprised if it is presented properly.
I found it interesting that many people wrote about the base group strategy and how they might like to incorporate it in their classroom. I too felt intrigued about this one. It sounds like an interesting strategy and I just wonder how it would look in my classroom and how much time it requires. I think I need to know a little more before implementing. I also learned a little about optimal group size being 3-4 which makes perfect sense because even a group of four sometimes allows one member to slide, especially without the proper structure. The author pointed out that sometimes cooperative learning could be overused. I had never really seen this but I understand that students might appreciate more individual practice time. I was most surprised by the homogenous grouping results being so low. I think I would be more likely to either make random groupings or at least ensure each group has a leader. The division of responsibilities and the existence of structure sounds logical to ensure all group members do their share but it is challenging to make tasks somewhat equal in nature. I also am challenged when a group has that individual who does not do their part. All in all, this strategy is solid and going to be more and more prevalent in our classrooms.
Assignment #7 (8/12/11) Cooperative Learning
Thanks Sara and John for adding your thoughts on cooperative learning!
Sara – Take a look at the books I suggested to Amy above if you are interested in learning more about how to make cooperative learning work in your classroom. In the prior week’s post, I mentioned to John how much we can learn about how to help our students by what we know about ourselves as learners (of course keeping in mind how many of your students will not have the same learning style as you).
John – It sounds as though you have some really great foundations for learning established in your old building…just curious as to why you are leaving? I agree with your point that writing tends to be more “individualistic” in nature. It’s great that you use partners for editing. The one place I might suggest using peers is during the choosing and exploring stage of the process. It is here where students decide what they will write about and make sure that they have enough to write about. This is a great place for kids to TALK to their peers about what they will draft prior to getting down to writing. You have great ideas on cooperative grouping in your classroom!
In my music room, the clock is always ticking. Since classes are only a half an hour, twice a week, I find I tend to use partners more in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, and then groups of 3-4 in a mature 3rd and up through 6th grade. I always assign tasks (the Wong books always insist to have as many people in the group as jobs) and we brainstorm group skills before. (It takes time, but it pays off!) After reading this chapter, I will definitely restrict the groups to 3-4 max. The discomfort I’m hearing with CL groups makes me wonder about writing a participation rubric that students could grade themselves and each other with after the project is complete. That way, they know the behavior expectations about not being bossy or lazy. I frequently let the students choose their groups, but they have to 1. accept the first person that asks, and 2. shake hands and 3. sit down when the group is complete. I insist about half of the time that the group must contain one girl and one guy, I just find the work gets done with that mix. For certain activities, I don’t mind boy rowdiness or girl chattiness. After reading, I understand that CL groups really do foster learning and social skill development, which was a nice confirmation.
I agree that CL groups take a certain 'letting go' of control. The more structure I provide, the more satisfying their results are, but it takes a LOT of preparation to project possible outcomes, problems, etc. In any given project, I have it mentally narrowed down to a few results, but the students don't know that! Since CL groups require so much social energy, I can do it once in a while. It does take the pressure off of me to 'be up front and center,' which is good for the students. I love how their initial discomfort turns into empowerment. I will continue informal groupings and occasional formal groupings, but I don’t think base groups will work in my situation. For my next formal grouping, I might try purposely choosing mixed abilities ahead of time.
I very much like the suggestion about using peer groups in the idea phase of composition rather than in the writing/editing stage. I will try it in my classroom.
#7
I am a big fan of cooperative learning because I think it is a powerful tool to help students learn. However I am also guilty of both overusing and misusing cooperative groups. I have noticed when I misuse cooperative groups is often when the task I give them isn’t cooperative work, it’s individual work that they complete in groups. Cooperative learning needs to be well structured and have a real purpose. I love the idea of giving the groups roles when they are completing a complex task. This gives each person in the group a specific responsibility, and more importantly, one person can’t check out and let the rest of the group do the work. Reading this chapter has helped me see that I still need to work on using cooperative learning in a more useful manner.
I have also experimented with group size. For the most part I make my students sit in groups of 4. This way if we do a group activity, the groups aren’t too big, but if we do something with pairs, it’s an easy transition. Last year I started out with groups of three and liked it more for my younger students (algebra 1 and geometry). Eventually I went back to my groups of 4 because it was easier and fit in my classroom better.
One thing I try to be aware of is grouping students by ability. I do like having a more advanced students grouped with a lower student to help them, but this doesn’t always work out. Sometimes the lower student is intimidated or the advanced student isn’t willing to help. Student’s ability, behavior and personality are all important factors when I build cooperative learning groups.
Assignment #7: Cooperative Learning
“Cooperative Learning” is one of those phrases I must admit that I shy away from. We talked about it a lot in grad school and I understand that cooperative learning is beneficial, but I feel like I need the cliff notes on how to get it started and maintained effectively within the classroom.
I do use informal cooperative learning daily in the form of discussion with a neighbor, partner work time, and partner reading. I have found these strategies easy to implement and very useful. It’s the formal independent groups that I have the most trouble with. I have some experience with formal grouping through GLAD and haven’t had the most success. It was better when I taught second grade, but now that I’m in first it just doesn’t seem to go as well as I’d like it to. Plus, we have to get through so much material I don’t feel like I can slow things down enough to adequately teach the process.
However, I am intrigued by the idea of base groups to get the students better acquainted with each other and to subtlety hold each other accountable for homework, work habits, or other daily activities. It would be a great self-management tool for the students and it would take some of the weight off of me to meet with students individually, therefore making it more manageable.
I now understand that ability grouping should be used sparingly and that there are many ways to form groups that take minimal planning. I have noticed that groups seem to be more effective when the students think that “fate” (instead of me!) is what brought them together.
Assignment #7
Jennifer Flagel
Thanks again Amber, Lynn and Jennifer for adding your comments to this assignment on cooperative learning. I think that the way we perceive it and how it works in our own classrooms depends on the individual type of learner that we each are. For example, interpersonal learners tend to be more self reflective and work well independently, while intrapersonal learners thrive with interaction. As teachers we need to keep in mind that even though it might not be in our own comfort zone to teach different types of learners, we have step outside of our own comfort and try our best to reach each of our learners. I wish each of you the best this coming year as you fine tune your use of cooperative learning and/or find more ways to effectively incorporate it.
Jacke and Mary: This is a good reminder for me, as I probably tend to be an individual learner rather than a group learner. This may be why cooperative learning is something I really need to work at to use most effectively as not all students learn in the same way I do.
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