Cooperation! Collaboration!
Interaction!
LeDale Southerland, Ed.D.
Trinity Christian Academy
[email protected]
Cooperation! Collaboration! Interaction!
Introduction
Preparing our students for the real world is a key component of our teaching. This real
world not only includes the academic arena, work force, and daily living, it also includes
our spiritual lives, as well. Numerous examples are found in the Bible that encourage
interaction among people. Jesus called the children to Himself. He met and talked with
the disciples in numerous settings, including the intimate upper room encounter. Paul,
Timothy, and others worked together to evangelize their people. Nehemiah was only
able to complete the wall around Jerusalem with the help of those who took on portions
to complete. Additionally, teaching our students to interact appropriately and
comfortably mimics the way they should interact with others as they share Christ.
Specifically, the Paideia method teaches students to interact with confidence while
providing support for their own positions and beliefs on issues. It also teaches them to
question others respectfully as they challenge their thinking and position. When sharing
the gospel, it is imperative that individuals be prepared to defend, refute, support, and
challenge with respect.
“Most great learning happens in groups. Collaboration is the stuff of growth.”
-Sir Ken Robinson Ph.D.
Compared to traditional instructional methods, students engaged in small-group learning
achieve higher grades, retain information longer, and have reduced dropout rates,
improved communication and collaboration skills, and a better understanding of
professional environments (Johnson, Johnson, & Stanne, 2000; Springer, Stanne, &
Donovan, 1997; Terenzini, Cabrera, Colbeck, Parente, & Bjorklund, 2001; cited in
Oakley, Felder, Brent, & Elhajj, 2004).
More importantly, the Bible is replete with examples of people working together for good.
Nehemiah rebuilding the Jerusalem wall had lots of help and built it in 52 days!
Jesus sent the people two by two to tell others about Him.
I Corinthians 12:12, 21—There is one body, many members, and we have need of each
other. We are all working toward a common goal.
Definitions:
Cooperative: To work with others toward a common goal, common benefit
Collaborative: To work jointly with others, especially in an intellectual endeavor (open
ended—discussion—to gain information)
Interactive: Mutual or reciprocal action or influence
What are the positives and negatives of Cooperative Learning?
Negatives
 Noise (Hear the learning, not the noise.)
 Time to plan activities
 Time in class
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Grading (Give some grades individually, some collectively, and some not at all.)
Seemingly disorganized
I prefer seatwork so I can sit at my desk and grade papers or input grades.
Positives
 Teaches students to work cooperatively.
 Imitates the world of work.
 Teaches brainstorming skills.
 Develops negotiation skills.
 Enhances social skills.
 Deepens understanding.
 Can increase student retention.
 Creates problem-solving opportunities.
 Encourages and often forces delegation.
*Notice that the negatives are teacher related and the benefits are student related!
Where Do I Start?
A. Teach them how to work together. (John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt)
 Not everyone gets along with all people; learn to negotiate.
 Listen to the voice of others and respect each person’s ideas.
 Include everyone.
 Understand that not all ideas can be used.
 Respect the group when they veto your idea.
 No negative statements.
 Do what is best for the group, not you.
 Do your part.
B. Establish guidelines for activities in general.
 How are the groups chosen? Teacher? Students? (Make sure the groups are
academically evenly distributed. One of the main goals of social interaction is
for students to learn from one another. [Vygotsky])
 Where are they allowed to work?
 How will you let them know if they are too loud?
1. Use a noise meter: Signal light or colors from the signal light—put on
board.
2. Flicker light.
3. Ring a bell.
4. Clap a particular rhythm.
5. Say/Sing a particular phrase.
6. Play music.
 What are the consequences for not getting quiet?
 What are the consequences for incomplete work?
 What are the consequences for misbehavior?
 Unless there are extenuating circumstances, a group remains intact
throughout the duration of the project.
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C. Establish guidelines for each project.
 How many are allowed in each group?
 Be very clear on the steps for each assignment.
o Is the entire assignment to be done as a group?
o What are they to turn in as a group and as an individual?
 How much are they expected to accomplish in one sitting?
 What time allotment are they given?
 How will the grade be determined?
 Have a method to determine the contribution of each participant.
o Teacher asks questions during a presentation.
o Each student gives a grade to each group member and to himself.
o Each participant lists his own involvement and hands it in as part of
the assignment.
o The assignment is not graded, just completed.
D. As the teacher, do your part.
 Plan!
 Be creative!
 Teach them. (See B and C above.)
 Don’t give up after the first try.
 Practice with your class.
 Give guidance.
 Be involved in each group.
 Allow a reflection time at the end of each group. (exit ticket; summary
statement)
 Follow up after the activity to reinforce learning.
The Paideia
What is a Paideia? A collaborative, intellectual dialogue using open ended questions
about a text or topic. Students engage in an intellectual discussion (using higher level
questions) to develop a deeper understanding of the text. It is based on Socratic
teaching in which Socrates used questioning to illicit responses from his students.
Types of Paideia
 Mini – small group discussions
 Informal – One large group. Sometimes in a circle; sometimes in rows.
 Formal– Inner/outer circle. Inner circle discusses, and outer circle asks
questions.
 Fish Bowl, same as above except the outside circle is quiet and “taps in” to
get involved in the conversation.
The Teacher’s Role (For more information go to www.paideia.org)
 Teach the students the rules. Model and practice.
 Decide the topic, poem, literature piece, or article that the students will
discuss in the paideia.
 Provide questions for the students to have answered before the paideia
begins, or you may choose to ask questions along the way. You may give
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them a couple of days to do this. **At some point, the students will provide
their own questions.
Set up the room in the style of paideia you plan to conduct.
Have students bring their questions with answers, How to Speak During a
Paideia sheet, and the grading rubric to the meeting.
Either you or a student should begin by asking the first question.
Interject only as needed to get the discussion back on track, move the
discussion along, or to take advantage of a teachable moment.
Take your own notes so you can clarify information after the discussion ends.
Expectations of the Students
 Participate during the entire paideia.
 Listen intently to every participant.
 Practice paideia posture: sit up and look at the person who is speaking.
 Speak loudly enough for all to hear.
 Do not dominate the conversation, and do not argue.
 Use the appropriate paideia language.
 Refer to each other by name.
 Invite others into the conversation.
 Take notes during the paideia.
The Benefits of the Paideia
 Share ideas with peers
 Hear ideas and opinions from different perspectives
 Gain confidence to share thoughts with others
 Deepen students’ understanding of a text
 Develop language skills that will help students engage in discussions in a
healthy way
 Learn to express without arguing.
 They can use these skills as they share Christ with others.
Extras
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Your students should eventually write many of their own questions.
Modify the paideia to meet your needs.
Allow students to discuss sometimes w/o Paideia rules.
If a student is absent, you can allow them a Paideia recovery.
Other Cooperative Learning Activities
GENERAL-CROSS CURRICULAR
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Paideia Seminar
Think, Pair, Share-Think about your position on a subject, pair off with someone
and discuss your position with the other person. Teacher calls on students to
share with the class what the pair discussed.
http://www.readwritethink.org/professional-development/strategy-guides/usingthink-pair-share-30626.html
Think, Pair, Share Variation—Divide a chapter or section of a chapter into
segments. Have the students think about which segment appeals to them.
Students pair off and create groups that have the same interest. They then work
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together to learn the material so they can share it with the class. They must
present it to the class using visuals, a handout, etc.
Jigsaw http://www.jigsaw.org/overview.htm
Establish groups of 4 (or any number you choose) students. Give each student a
number. All the Number 1s in the group are given a specific topic. All the
number 2s are given a different topic to learn, #3, #4, etc. Then, all number 1s
meet together to learn that material well enough to go back to their original group
and teach/explain/share the material. (Remember, all the number 1s, 2s, etc.
have the same information to learn.) After a period of time, the original groups
are formed again so that each group now has a number 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. in it. Each
member teaches/explains/shares his or her own material. Variation: Divide the
class into groups. You provide the topic they are to cover. They learn the
material well, then as a group, they present it to the class. (Great for dividing up
a small chapter or a portion of a larger chapter. It could be used for dividing up
vocabulary words.)
Group Elimination—Divide the class into groups. Each group brainstorms on the
same subject and makes a list of characteristics or information about their topic.
(It could be characteristics of vertebrates or invertebrates, mammals, etc. It may
be various elements of a particular war or historic event, including the causes
and effects.) All groups stand. The first group gives a characteristic. If any other
group has that characteristic, they must mark it off their list. The next group
gives another characteristic or fact about the topic. If any group has that on their
list, they mark it off. The goal is to see which group is the last one standing.
Gallery Walk—Place several sheets of chart paper or large construction paper on
the walls around the room. On those sheets, write questions that potentially
require a lot of explanation or have multiple layers to the answers. Have groups
of 3-4 students go to each sheet and write their answers on the paper. After 1-2
minutes, all groups move to another sheet of chart paper. They will discuss the
answers that are already there, and then they will add their own answers. The
groups change until they have visited all of the sheets on the wall. When they
return to their original starting point, they will synthesize the information for the
rest of the class in a short presentation of the material.
Concentric Circles—Create two concentric circles of students facing each other.
The teacher poses a question to the class, and the partners talk for a brief time,
30-60 seconds. At the signal, the outer circle rotates one position to the left to
face a new partner. Continue this for several rotations.
Response Cards—Teacher provides one set of response cards for each group.
(yes/no; fact/opinion; main point/supporting detail; true/false; integer/rational
number, real number; Union/Confederacy; right/privilege; etc.) The teacher asks
a question of the class. Each group deliberates, collectively chooses their
answer to the question, and holds up their response. The group must be able to
answer a follow-up question such as “Defend your position” or “Why?” or “How
do you know?”
Speed Dating—This is not actually speed dating, but it is set up in the same way.
Students are divided into groups of 2. Each group is given a different question,
math problem, or any item you choose, that is written on a 3 x 5 card. Each
group solves or answers the question together and becomes the expert for that
particular question. After a designated time (minute or two), only one from each
group rotates to a new partner. At that time, the new group exchanges cards and
tries to answer the question or solve the problem. If someone doesn’t
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understand, the expert is there who can help them with their question. After a
designate time, the rotation continues until all questions or problems have been
answered or worked.
ABC Chart-have students write the letters A-M in one column, and N-Z in another
column. Have students work together and write down as much as they know
about a particular topic, using each letter as the beginning of a phrase or word.
After working for a few minutes, have them use their books to complete as many
of the letters A-Z as they can. The teacher then discusses these with the class
and uses his/her own completed ABC chart as a guide. Ask the students why
they used that statement. Ask them to explain what is meant by their word or
phrase. Have them tell about the surrounding events that led to the answer they
wrote. This can be used as the primary teaching tool or as an assessment for
prior knowledge.
Walking Review—Students seek others to answer questions on a worksheet, and
the student who answers the question signs their name beside their answer.
The last question is answered by the student back at his or her desk. This can
be as controlled or as free as you design it.
Have students design a questionnaire to gather information from other students
about a particular subject-area.
Two or three-minute review (Turn and Talk). Stop at any point in the lesson and
have students review what has been said, ask clarifying questions, or answer
questions. This can be done in groups, or you may simply have the students turn
to a person near them and review.
Have students complete review sheets in groups. Have them study/review
together. Teach students to highlight the questions they have mastered to
increase study time on unknown questions. (Study skill)
Graphic Organizers- Younger students can put pictures into categories or under
labels the teacher creates. (different sounds, two vowel/one vowel words, math
families) (See Internet sites provided.)
Hands-Up-Pair Up-Students make flashcards using vocabulary words, states and
capitals, questions for a test or quiz, etc. The question/word/state is written on
one side of the card, and the answer is written on the back. The students all
stand, and the teacher says, “Go!” They all find a partner, slap hands, show their
card to their partner, and the partner tries to answer the question. Both students
show their cards to each other. After they have answered both questions, they
slap hands together again and go find another partner. If they need a partner,
they raise their hand.
MATH IDEAS
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Provide problems that have been worked incorrectly. Have students find the
mistake, correct it, and be able to explain it to another person or the class. Have
students work together in groups after they have been taught a new concept for
the purpose of discussing what was learned.
Have the students work word problems together discussing and explaining each
step as they go.
Use math manipulatives to work problems.
Have students work several problems together. They then write the steps of how
to do a type of problem. They can write the steps collectively, or the first person
writes the first step, the next person writes the 2nd step, etc.
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Alternate working a problem and explaining it to the other.
LANGUAGE ARTS
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Analyze or compare and contrast characters, reactions, or other aspects of a
book or event.
Present a group book report of a book that each member of the group read.
Read to each other in small groups. Read to younger groups.
Have students write a script to retell either a story from their reading book or a
Bible story. Can be presented to class.
Create a class newspaper. Each group is responsible for the information in a
given section. Or, create a newspaper about a topic or event. One student may
write a human interest story; one may write a critique, etc. Younger students may
draw pictures of a Bible story or a story that was read in class.
Write sentences for vocabulary words. Leave a blank for the vocabulary word.
Make an answer key. Trade papers with another group. Work each other’s
sentences.
Monster Vocabulary-For those more difficult vocabulary lists, students create
Monster puppets and perform a show using the vocabulary words correctly in
their scripts. You could assign only a few words to each group, making it so that
all vocabulary words are covered in the puppet shows.
Have students provide an antonym for each word in one column. In another
column, students provide a synonym for each vocabulary word. Have the
students make an answer key stating which vocabulary word goes with each
antonym or synonym. Groups trade papers and complete.
Teach different types of advertisements. Each group develops a product and
creates a commercial to sell that product. Videotape. Analyze as a class.
Write a story together. Students could alternate writing a sentence for the story,
or they could brainstorm and write the story collectively.
Write a poem (cinquain, haiku, diamonde, limerick). Write it out and decorate
appropriately.
Use writing conferences. Have students give feedback to each on their writing
papers.
Write a critical analysis of a book or event. Students must first create the
questions they plan to answer in their written analysis.
Have each group identify (stated and/or implied) characteristics of the main
characters. You could give each group one character, or all characters to each
group then compare answers. Students must give examples of where that
characteristic was displayed or in what circumstance it was implied.
Give younger students an object. They pass it around the group, and each
student says a sentence about the object, creating a story. (teacher facilitated)
Create a scrapbook about a book or event. Maybe create a map of a particular
location.
CONTENT AREAS
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Do group science experiments. Have enough supplies for 5-6 groups and have
them work the experiment.
Perform a controlled experiment, perhaps plant seeds. The group decides what
variables to use in the experiment. Have the students chart the progress of the
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project. Students collectively hypothesize, analyze the data, and report the
results. Each student must turn in a chart.
Set up centers for science experiments or other activities. Each group is
responsible for visiting that center and doing that activity together. (This requires
dedicated time in class to do this.)
Younger students (groups of two) can draw pictures of a process. (Any “how to”
that is on their level)
Create a timeline of events. Perhaps require pictures along the way like some
maps use. For younger students, they can simply draw pictures as their timeline.
This can be used for the steps of a science experiment.
Choose two countries and compare and contrast them using visuals and a
written report.
Provide a topic for each group to debate. The groups must present both sides of
the issue to the class, and the class determines which side is better represented
based on specific criteria.
KINDERGARTEN AND LOWER ELEMENTARY
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Cut out letters and pictures from magazines corresponding to the letters and
sounds the class has learned. Give each group the letters/sounds you want them
to find in the pictures. Have each group look for as many of the different
letters/sounds as they can. After each group has finished, switch letters/sounds
they are trying to find.
Variation of the above: Have specific pictures that correspond to a specific
sound. Have the students match the letters and pictures based on the sounds
heard in the picture's name.
Have upper and lower case letters. Have the groups match the upper and lower
case of each set.
Pop and Match. (This can be purchased already made. See website below.) Or,
create your own. Each group has a teacher-created game board with 4 words
written on it. The initial consonant or the vowel (or whatever sound you want to
emphasize) is missing in each word. Using a popper with a letter cube in it (like
in the game of Trouble; teacher-created version, use a spinner or tiles for
students to draw out of a bag), one person pops the popper (spins the spinner or
draws from the bag) to show which letter is to be used. Two people in the group
guess which word needs that particular letter. One person writes the letter in the
blank. Answers are on back of each card.
Creating sentences. Each child has a picture. The group leader helps everyone
make/say a sentence for their picture. Groups then rotate and share their
pictures and sentences within the new group. The leader is responsible for
making sure each person shares his/her sentence.
Number Matching. This activity is done in a station format. Have various
numbers either printed on individual cards or cut out. Also have different groups
of objects at the station. Have groups match the number to the correct group of
objects. You can either have 2-3 groups of objects and have students match the
correct numbers to the objects, or you can have 2-3 groups of objects with only
one number on a card. Students find the right group of objects that will match
their given number. Each group rotates through until all stations have been
visited.
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Sorting. Groups rotate through four different stations. Each station has certain
things to sort, some by size, some by color, some by shape, etc.
Patterns. Groups are given blocks, legos, beads, etc. Each group has to make
patterns with the items given to them.
Sight Words or Addition Facts. Group leader has flashcards to show and
moderate each child taking turns answering or reading a flashcard.
Classify characters as human, animal, or thing. You can use pictures or the
names written out. Brainstorm as a class to list all of the characters in the story.
Story Creation. Each group is given a topic and must create a 4-5 sentence
story about the topic. Ideally each child in the group would contribute a sentence
to the story.
Create a bar graph using items such as colored candy hearts, m & m’s, skittles,
or other colored items. Have students design a bar graph, including title and
labels. Have students visit other groups’ desks to see other graphs. Have groups
explain their graphs to others.
This activity is teacher facilitated. All students are given a jersey (you could
simply print these from the internet.) with a number on it. The students all stand
and without talking, walk around the room until they find someone with the same
number. Next, have them find a partner with the same color jersey. Then, have
each student find a partner that represents the same sport. Variation: Have the
students get in groups of the same color then the same number then the same
sport.
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References
Ketch, A. (2005). Conversation: The comprehension connection. The Reading Teacher,
59(1), 8-13.
Mahn, H. (1999). Vygotsky’s methodological contribution to sociocultural theory.
Remedial and Special Education, 20(6), 341-350.
Routman, R. (2003). Reading essentials: Specifics you need to teach reading well.
Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
Vygotsky, L. S. (1926/1997). Educational psychology (R. Silverman, Trans.). Boca
Raton, FL: St. Lucie Press.
Resources
These first two websites offer information on cooperative learning:
Frey, N., & Fischer, D. (2013). The first 20 days: Establishing productive group work
in the classroom. doi: 10.1598/e-ssentials.8006
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/training/cooperative_learning.htm
www.educationcity.com This is available for a fee, which covers the site license for the
school. It provides numerous interactive learning activities that allow your students to
interact immediately. It is also available for parents and students at home. Well worth
the purchase price for the benefit.
http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/ This has numerous resources and is where you can
purchase the Pop-Up phonics games.
http://paideia.org This has an excellent video that gives the benefits of the paideia from
the students’ and teachers’ perspectives. It also has numerous resources, including
lesson plans.
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