Cooperative+Learning-Kristen+Marquez

Cooperative Learning By: Kristen Marquez

__WHAT IS COOPERATIVE LEARNING?__

Cooperative Learning** is a successful teaching strategy in which small teams, each with students of different levels of ability, use a variety of learning activities to improve their understanding of a subject.

Each team member is responsible not only for learning what is taught, but also for helping teammates learn, thereby creating an atmosphere of achievement.

Students work through the assignment until all group members successfully understand and complete it.

__WHY USE COOPERATIVE LEARNING?__
 * 

Research has shown that cooperative learning techniques:** -Promote student learning and academic achievement -Enhance student satisfaction with their learning experience -Help students develop skills in oral communication -Develop students' social skills -Promote student self-esteem

Cooperative learning promotes language acquistion by providing comprehensible input in developmentally appropriate ways and in a supportive and motivating environment. (Kagan 1995)
 * For English Language Learners:**

__HOW CAN YOU USE COOPERATIVE LEARNING IN THE CLASSROOM? __

__Some activites include:__ Jigsaw** - Groups with five students are set up. Each group member is assigned some unique material to learn and then to teach to his group members. To help in the learning students across the class working on the same sub-section get together to decide what is important and how to teach it. After practice in these "expert" groups the original groups reform and students teach each other.


 * Think-Pair-Share** - Involves three step cooperative structure. During the first step individuals think silently about a question posed by the teacher. Individuals pair up during the second step and exchange thoughts. In the third step, the pairs share their responses with other pairs, other teams, or the entire group.


 * Three-Step Interview (Kagan)** - Each member of a team chooses another member to be a partner. During the first step individuals interview their partners by asking clarifying questions. During the second step partners reverse the roles. For the final step, members share their partner's response with the team.


 * Round Robin Brainstorming (Kagan)** - Classroom is divided into small groups or 4 to 6, with one person appointed as the recorder. A question is posed with many answers and students are given time to think about answers. After the "think time", members of the team share responses with one another round robin style. The recorder writes down the answers of the group members. The person next to the recorder starts and each person in the group in order gives an answer until time is called.


 * Three-minute Review** - Teachers stop any time during a lecture or discussion and give teams three minutes to review what has been said, ask clarifying questions or answer questions.


 * Numbered Heads Together (Kagan)** - A team of four is established. Each member is given numbers of 1, 2, 3, 4. Questions are asked of the group. Groups work together to answer the question so that all can verbally answer the question. Teacher calls out a number (two) and each two is asked to give the answer.


 * Team Pair Solo (Kagan)** - Students do problems first as a team, then with a partner, and finally on their own. It is designed to motivate students to tackle and succeed at problems which initially are beyond their ability. It is based on a simple notion of mediated learning. Students can do more things with help (mediation) than they can do alone. By allowing them to work on problems they could not do alone, first as a team and then with a partner, they progress to a point they can do alone that which at first they could do only with help.


 * Circle the Sage (Kagan)** - First the teacher polls the class to see which students have a special knowledge to share. For example, the teacher may ask who in the class was able to solve a difficult math homework question, who had visited Mexico, etc. Those students (the sages) stand and spread out in the room. The teacher then has the rest of the classmates each surround a sage, with no two members of the same team going to the same sage. The sage explains what they know while the classmates listen, ask questions, and take notes. All students then return to their teams. Each in turn, explains what they learned. Because each one has gone to a different sage, they compare notes. If there is a disagreement, they stand up as a team. Finally, the disagreements are aired and resolved.


 * Partners (Kagan)** - The class is divided into teams of four. Partners move to one side of the room. Half of each team is given an assignment to master to be able to teach the other half. Partners work to learn and can consult with other partners working on the same material. Teams go back together with each set of partners teaching the other set. Partners quiz and tutor teammates. Team reviews how well they learned and taught and how they might improve the process.

-make pre-instructional decisions about grouping students and assigning appropriate tasks. -create groups that are equitable so that all students participate fully and use multiple-abillity strategies. -evaluate student learning and the effectiveness of each group's work.
 * For Cooperative Learning to work, teachers must:**

__**DEMONSTRATION**: (Please click on link) __

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