By: Angela, Ashley & Mary
1
Quotations about using Cooperative Learning in the Classroom-ALL
 1) “Isn’t it wrong to teach using cooperative methods when
we must prepare students for a competitive world?”
2) “Isn’t the accelerated achievement of low-achieving
students in cooperative learning bought at expense of
high-achieving students?”
3) “If I allow students to discuss and argue among
themselves, won’t I be faced with difficult classroom
management problems?”
4) “Doesn’t cooperative learning mean forcing some
students to work with others they don’t like?”
2
Quotations about using Cooperative Learning in the Classroom-ALL
 5) “The group decided on a topic and I had to go along,
although I did not agree. Doesn’t cooperative learning
mean giving up individuality?”
 6)“In my group a few members did all the work. Doesn’t
cooperative learning mean a free ride for some or most of
the students?”
(Kagan, 1990, pgs. 1:1-1:5)
3
Benefits of Cooperative Learning-ASHLEY
 Research shows-students who participate in cooperative learning
score better on tests in particular: reasoning & critical thinking
skills
 Students are more personally engaged in the content when
working cooperatively
 Cooperative learning is good for socialization, but individual
reward is best used to keep motivation
 Heterogeneous groups-students of different race, gender,
learning styles=deeper understanding of material
 Students more likely to ask questions or clarification from peers
& teachers when participating in a cooperative learning activity
 Cooperative learning tasks allows for students to create friends in
class; to trust peers; students to have higher self-esteem
4
Benefits of Cooperative Learning Continued-ASHLEY
 Teamwork is an essential skill for the workforce
 Cooperative Learning increases language and communication skills
 Cooperative Learning increases accountability & self-esteem
 Cooperative Learning develops conflict management skills & lowers
anxiety
 In a study completed by Slavin, 63% of students saw an increase in
their grades when using cooperative learning methods (Kagan, 3:1,
1992)
 Out of 10 studies, 7 studies proved that time on task in the classroom
improves in cooperative learning situations (Kagan, 3:3, 1992)
 Cooperative Learning is beneficial to language acquisition for EAL
students---we learn by speaking, and cooperative work allows for
discussion, sharing, opinions and language use (High & Kagan,V1,
1993)
5
Elements of Cooperative Learning-MARY
There are 5 basic elements of successful cooperative
learning these are:
Positive Interdependence
Face to Face Interaction
Individual and Group Accountability
Interpersonal and Small Group Skills
Group Processing
They differentiate cooperative learning from other forms of
group learning. These are like pieces of a puzzle – when all
elements are present the result is cooperative learning.
6
Positive Interdependence-MARY
 Each group member’s efforts are required and necessary for
the group to succeed
 Each group member brings their own unique strengths and
resources to the group
 The efforts of each group member directly benefits the
group
7
Face to Face Interaction-MARY
 The group needs to promote one another’s success
 The group needs to have the tools to verbally explain to
each other the methods they will use to solve the problem
 They need to be able to check for understanding amongst
the group
 Have the ability to discuss the problems and concepts
being learned
 They need to have the ability to connect present learning
with previous learning
8
Individual and Group Accountability-MARY
 Size of group – the smaller the size the greater the




member’s accountability
Test each individual for comprehension and progress
Observe groups and note how often each member
contributes
Assign one student in the group to ask other group
members for their progress
Have students teach other group members what they have
learned
9
Interpersonal and Small-Group Skills-MARY
 Ensure that group members have these basic
teamwork skills or help the group develop them
 Leadership
 Decision-making
 Trust-building
 Communication
 Conflict-management skills
10
Group Processing-MARY
 Group members discuss the progress of their work
 Should feel free to communicate with group to share
concerns and successes
 Should feel free to show they are achieving their goals
 Group members should be able to discuss their working
relationship within their groups
11
Conditions required for Cooperative Groups to be Successful-MARY
 Small groups working as a team
 Using 5 basic elements to make certain everyone achieves a
defined goal
 Full participation of all team members
 All team members involved in decision making process
 Members trust other group members that they will add
value to the project
 Open communication:





Group members contribute ideas
They ask for clarification
Members provide constructive feedback
Group frequently updates other members
They listen attentively to each other
12
Teaching Students the Required Interpersonal and Small Group Skills-MARY
 Identify the necessary skills
 Define the different member roles
 Discuss how they are important to small group work
 Practice and role play these skills
 Rotate the roles through the group so all group members
have experiences in different roles
13
Cooperative Learning Techniques and Methods-ASHLEY
Think-Pair-Share-Involves a 3 step process. Initially, students reflect
individually about a question. Students then pair up with another student and
exchange ideas and thoughts. In the final step, the partners share their ideas with
other partnerships or the class.
 Three-Step Interview-Involves a 3 step process. Initially, 1 student interviews a
partner, and the other student responds. Then the students exchange roles.
Finally, each partner shares their partner’s role with the class.
Note-Taking Pairs- Involves students working together to complete a notetaking activity.
 Jigsaw- Students are placed into groups of approximately 4-5. Then each
student in the larger group is designated a section of the curriculum to learn and
master. When mastery of individual topics is complete, students come back
together into their original group of 4 or 5 and each student teaches their mastery
to the rest of the group.
14
Cooperative Learning Technique and Methods- ASHLEY
 Group Grid- Involves students working with a partner or a group to
organize and classify information into a table or chart format.
 Sequence Chains- Involves students working with a partner or small
group of students to represent the correct sequence of events in
content being taught. An example of Sequence Chain cooperative
assignments would be timelines or comic strips.
 Peer Edit/Revision-Involves students working with a partner to edit
and revise a piece of writing written by the other student. The idea
behind this process is for students to reflect on their writing, in
addition to the writing of a peer in the class.
15
Cooperative Learning Techniques-ASHLEY
 Three-stay, One-stray-Allows students to have a break from the students they are
working with in a cooperative learning assignment, while keeping conversations on topic.
The technique involves having 1 student from each group “straying” to another group to
discuss the process and workings of their current group. This technique allows for
sharing of ideas between groups, yet in a controlled manner.
 Literature Circles-Involves students reading a novel with a small group of fellow
students in the class. Students complete oral reading, discussion questions, and various
tasks within their cooperative reading group.
 Peer tutoring-Enables students to learn from or help other students in the class. The
technique allows for increased self-esteem and confidence amongst students.
 Poster/Journal Carousel- Involves cooperative group collaboration on a given topic--then presenting what each group in the class contributed to that topic. Poster or journal
paper will travel from each group, with each group adding to the responses of previous
groups.
16
Cooperative Learning Techniques-ASHLEY
 Projects/Presentations-Involves group collaboration of any size to complete
assignments such as: posters, PowerPoint, presentations and skits.
 Co-Op Co-Op-Involves students reviewing unit material through re-teaching
presentations. Each group would be responsible to re-teach and review a topic
in the unit and present it to the class in the form of a review.
 Gallery Tours & Walks- Students walk with a partner to view other student
work displayed in the classroom. Partners may be required to comment on
pieces of student work, as a piece of paper is often placed beside the work and
partners are expected to leave a comment or positive feedback.
 Brainstorming/Word Webs/KWL- Students work with a small group or a
partner to discuss their initial ideas, predictions, and knowledge about a given
topic. This technique is generally used at the beginning of new units.
17
Using Cooperative Learning Strategies Age-Appropriately - ANGELA
 Strategies that are age-specific:
 Note-Taking Pairs:

useful only for middle years and up, as students younger than this are probably
not capable of summarizing material enough to take notes independent of a
teacher’s direction
 Three-Stay, One-Stray:
 requires certain amount of abstract thinking, as students are asked to discuss how
the process and workings of their cooperative learning groups.
 Useful for Grades5 and up
 Literature Circles:



requires students to have well-developed literacy skills, students must be able to
read longer texts, discuss topics related to the novel, and write responses to the
text
useful only for Grades 3 and up
This method might be adaptable in the context of “buddy-reading”. If the older
students were reading a shorter text that would keep the attention of the younger
students, buddies could read it together and then get together in literature circles
to discuss. However, this would entail a lot of buddy-reading time, which most
teachers do not have in their schedule.
18
Using Cooperative Learning Strategies Age-Appropriately - ANGELA
 Strategies that are age-specific:
 Co-Op Co-Op:


useful for Middle Years and up – students must have the ability to review material
given over several weeks and then summarize and re-word it
a great method for older students in that it gives all students a second chance to
learn something (however, it might be hard to fit into schedules, given
time/curriculum restrictions)
 Group Grid and Graphic Organizer Creations


useful for upper elementary and onwards
requires ability to create categories for information and sort information
accordingly
19
Using Cooperative Learning Strategies Age-Appropriately -ANGELA
 Strategies that work for all students:
 Think-Pair-Share and Interviewing


requires only verbal abilities
give older students a list of topics to consider, while for younger students, verbally give them
one topic at a time
 Jigsaw:



great for older students as it gives them a lot of independence and responsibility
if students are being asked to read materials in order to do Jigsaw, this method can be used
for Grade 3 and up
for K-2 students, learning methods are adapted: reading students can read text, while others
can view pictures or other visuals, look at video or listen to audio on the internet, listen to
books on CD, or handle physical objects
 Sequence Chains:


older students can handle complex timelines with many dates and information
younger students can do similar activities using pictures or short phrases
20
Using Cooperative Learning Strategies Age-Appropriately – ANGELA
 Strategies that work for all students:
 Peer Edit/Revision


older students can be given a list of criteria to use when editing
younger students can be given a simplified list (i.e. check for finger spaces, periods, and
lower-case letters).
 Poster/Journal carousel and Gallery Walks:
as long as students have been taught to provide constructive, rather than overly critical,
feedback, all students can grow by hearing other groups’ ideas about their work
 for older students, feedback could be provided in a formal way using a rubric, while for other
students, feedback could be verbal or a sticky note on the work with a short phrase written on
it.
 Brainstorming/Word Webs/KWL:

especially great for younger students, who are always eager to share what they already know
about a topic.
 The responsibility to record ideas and prior knowledge could shift from teacher to students
depending on students’ age
 In younger, pre-writing grades, students could also draw their ideas, while in older grades,
students could create more sophisticated graphic organizers and webs.

21
Expectations/Roles of Students Within Cooperative Learning Groups-ASHLEY
Roles for Cooperative Learning:
Taskmaster: makes sure group on task
Checker/Mediator: checks to be sure everyone agrees
Gatekeeper: monitors if everyone contributed equally
Praiser: encourages the sharing of ideas, gives opinions
Recorder: note-taker for group
Gofer: gathers materials
Noise Monitor: monitors group noise level
Researcher: gathers important information
22
Dealing with Common Issues with Cooperative Learning Groups-ASHLEY
 Individual students dominating groups
 Some members do not contribute
 Group conflict-bickering, arguing
23
Teacher Role in Cooperative Learning Activities-Management of Group Issues-ASHLEY
 Structure groups properly-assess what will be best for
student learning
 Quiet Signal-Brings groups back together
 Clear expectations of work- verbal & visual
 Discuss what makes good group work?
 Model/show good group work
 Frequent checks/consults for understanding/participation
 Provide positive feedback on group progress
 Individual assessment is key! Maybe a self-assessment and
teacher assessment combination (explain to students
upfront)
 (Kagan 7:2-7:10)-1992
24
Situation Topic-ASHLEY
 Grade 8 Class-Social Studies Group Project:
Michael is a quiet student in the class, and is
certainly the quietest student in his cooperative
learning group. He is not very social with students
inside of or outside of class. Ethan (a fellow group
member) notices that Michael has been slacking
off and not producing his work or contributing in
the decisions of the group. The group comes to
speak to you about the situation and to help
handle it. What do you do as the teacher?
25
Analyze the Situation-ASHLEY
 What could be the underlying issue for Michael? (Do you




know something the group members do not?)
What would be the best approach to speak with Michael?
(after class/before class)
How should you communicate with Michael? (think about
personality)
What information are you expecting to/wanting to hear
from Michael?
How will you discuss as a group at the end of the
conversation?
26
Forming Cooperative Learning Groups-ANGELA
 What size of group is best?
 Recommended group sizes range from 2 to 6 members
 Smaller groups foster less social interaction, but each member
must contribute more. Larger groups give more diversity of
ideas.
 How should groups be formed?
 Random selection: useful mostly for short-term groups
 Student-selected: also useful mostly for short-term groups, as
groups will likely be very homogeneous
 Teacher-selected: Most useful, as teachers can careful monitor
level of diversity in each group, choosing students with certain
strengths, needs, or interests. Teacher should also take
personality into consideration (e.g. introvert/extrovert).
27
Forming Cooperative Learning Groups-ANGELA
 How long should these groups should be used?
 Unless groups are randomly selected or student-selected, groups should
usually last for a few weeks, or long enough for the group to become
cohesive and experience some success as a unified group.
 Groups that are together longer become more efficient at working together
and can therefore handle more complex tasks
 Groups that encounter difficulties should be a chance to work through
them, instead of switching right away
 Should groups be homogeneous or heterogeneous?
 Research shows that groups usually work best when students are grouped
heterogeneously
 Randomly selected or student-selected groups (usually homogeneous) are
sometimes useful for limited tasks
28
How does Cooperative Learning Promote Responsible Behaviour?-ANGELA
Cooperative learning encourages accountability in
students

Students have to be accountable to their group
members, as all must fulfill their roles in order to
achieve success

Teachers may allow groups to evaluate each other, and
students who consistently “shirk” their work can be
asked by the group to leave – this is a major incentive for
students to remain accountable
29
How does Cooperative Learning Promote Responsible Behaviour?-ANGELA
 Cooperative learning increases students’ abilities to
contribute in a responsible way




Socially difficult or awkward students are placed in groups
with students who are capable socially, so they can learn from
these models
It is especially helpful for students who needs lots of help
socially to be in small groups, so they are forced to participate
Students who struggle to contribute responsibly are given
specific roles to fulfill (instead of floundering around for a
group and a role)
Students are often asked to give constructive feedback to each
other which promotes polite ways of interacting and realistic
self-esteem
30
How does Cooperative Learning Promote Responsible Behaviour? - ANGELA
 Collaborative learning encourages
interdependence
 Every group member’s work is indispensable for the
group’s success
 Students see that they can help each other learn, in ways
that even the teacher might not have been capable of
 Teachers may assess accordingly: give group marks for
projects, individual marks for tests, but give all group
members a bonus if they all reach a certain criterion on the
test
 Students who are difficult or irresponsible normally will
see that their work is important and needed by others,
boost feelings of competence and self-esteem
31
Assessment of Cooperative Learning-MARY
Have all groups check in on their progress
Assign roles to group members to ensure equal
involvement in group
Assign individual tests to ensure group learning
Provide rubric or checklist for groups to assess their
productivity
Require posters or presentations which can be graded
Provide opportunities for peers to assess work of other
groups
Individual Accountability & Self-Assessments
32
Disadvantages of Cooperative Learning-MARY
 Cooperative learning is not always collaborative learning
 Students working together but not engaging in the
learning process together
 Students who lack certain social skills do not know how to
work in groups
 Not all students contribute equally
 Difficulty in assessing when groups and ensuring that all
groups are on task
 Cooperative learning is difficult for shy students
 Risk of placing students in roles before they have
appropriate skills
33
Community Resources for Cooperative Learning-ANGELA
 Cooperative Learning-Glacie Group: http://www.glacie.ca
 GLACIE is comprised of a group of educators from the Great Lakes region: our
members are enthusiastic advocates of cooperative learning in all levels of
classrooms and the community at large.
 Our mission is to promote cooperative learning in classrooms and
communities in the Great Lakes region, through workshops, staff
development, newsletters and conferences.
 Our purpose is to encourage:
 Personal and professional development
 Caring and respectful learning environments
 Empowerment of teachers to use cooperative learning strategies
 Collegiality
 Respect for diverse points of view
34
Community Resources for Cooperative Learning-ANGELA
 Manitoba Association for Cooperative Learning Teachers
(MACLT)
 This group is a Manitoba-based SAG (Special Area Group) in 2010
Contact- Sheila Silversides
35
Video Clip- Kagan Cooperative Learning-Structures for Success (Part 1)
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0s_qxJDuas
36
References
Cooperative Learning. (2011). Retrieved January 22, 2011, from
http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/intech/cooperativelearning.htm
Cooperative Learning Information. (2011). Retrieved January 23, 2011, from
http://istudy.pdu.edu/FirstYearModules/CooperativeLearn/CoopLearnInfo.htm
Goltz, S. M. (1998). Composing a team. Developments in Business Simulation and
Experiential Learning, 25, 194-200.
Great Lakes Chapter of the International Association for the Study of Cooperation in
Education (IASCE). (2010). Retrieved February 28, 2011, from http://www.glacie.ca/
Gross Davis, B. (1993). Tools for Teaching, Collaborative Learning: Group Work and Study
Teams, University of California, Berkeley, Jossey-Bass Publishers: San Francisco. Retrieved
January 24, 2011, from http://teaching.berkeley.edu/bgd/collaborative.html
High, J. (1993). Second Language Learning Through Cooperative Learning, Kagan
Cooperative Learning, San Clemente, CA
37
References
Hill, S., & Hill, Tim. (1990). The Collaborative Classroom: A Guide to Co-operative
Classroom: A Guide to Co-operative Learning. Heinemann: Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
Jenkins, R. J., Antil, L. R., Wayne, S.K., Vadasy, P. F. (2003). How cooperative learning
works for special education and remedial students. Exceptional Children, 69(3), 279-292.
John, D. W., Johnson, R. T., & Holubec Johnson, E. (1994). The New Circles of
Learning: Cooperation in the Classroom and School. Association for
Supervision and Curriculum Development, Alexandria, Virginia.
Johnson, D. W. and Johnson, R. T. (1999). Cooperating Learning and Assessment,
Cooperative Learning, (pp. 163-178). Tokyo: Japan Association for Language
Teaching.
Kagan, S. (1990). Cooperative Learning Resources for Teachers, San Juan Capistrano, CA
38
References
Kagan, S. (1992). Cooperative Learning, Kagan Cooperative Learning, San Clemente, CA
Kagan Cooperative Learning-Structures for Success Part 1 (Video file). Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0s_qxJDuas
Manitoba Association for Cooperative Learning Teachers (MACLT). Sheila Silversides,
SAG conference Winnipeg, MB October 21,2011, [email protected]
Minister of Education and Training. (1996).Success for all Learners: A Handbook on
Differentiating Instruction, A Resource for Kindergarten to Senior 4 Schools,
Winnipeg, MB
Prince George’s County Public Schools. (2011). A Guide to Cooperative Learning,
Retrieved January 24, 2011, from http://pgcps.org/~elc/learning1.html
Starting Point Teaching Entry Level Geoscience. (2011). Retrieved January 20, 2011,
from http://serc.carleton.edu/introgeo/cooperative/techniques.html
Stone, J. M. (1989). Cooperative Learning and Language Arts, Resources for Teachers,
San Juan Capistrano, CA
39