What is Cooperative Learning and why?
Teachers have always been looking for different methods to enhance the material being taught. This is because there is no best way to teach, and instead, being open minded to different learning approaches can be highly beneficial. One learning approach called Cooperative Learning, is a method that is used on students to integrate group work. Additional to group work, it allows students to see and improve on the elements when working in a group, such as group responsibilities. The aim of this approach is to enhance student learning through the use of groups to help each other out (Brame, C.J. & Biel, R., 2015).. There can be formal and informal approaches to cooperative learning. Briefly speaking, formal cooperative learning typically involves the teacher/instructor to form a structure for the students to follow within the group. Informal cooperative learning is where the instructor has little to no intervention and the group itself has to do most of the planning/peer work (Brame, C.J. & Biel, R., 2015). A few examples of cooperative learning includes:
- Think pair share
- Students are to first think about a given question, then pair up with peers, and lastly share their thoughts regarding the question.
- Peer instruction
- Students are to first think and answer a given question, pair up and discuss their answers, and ultimately keep or change their answers after discussing.
- Jigsaw
- All students in a given group will excel in their group topic, the groups are then scrambled where each group will contain exactly 1 student that excels in their previous group topic. This suggests that after the group change, there will be 4 unique students that excel in different topics.
(Brame, C.J. & Biel, R., 2015).
In terms the alignment of this approach and my chosen topic (online learning course), there is almost none. This is because the chosen topic is typically heavily reliant on individual work to complete, whereas the cooperative learning approach relies on peer to peer work. In some cases, it is possible to integrate cooperative learning to the topic where discussions can be made to solve some of the interactive and assessment material. For example, if two students are participating in an online course, and one of the students get’s stuck on a difficult question, they can turn to the other student taking the course and discuss on that matter. Of course, if discussion is a matter of just cheating and no intention to learn, then there is no benefit of taking the course. But ultimately, material in the online learning course is intended to enhance the knowledge for individual students.
References
- Brame, C.J. & Biel, R. (2015). Setting up and facilitating group work:
Using cooperative learning groups effectively. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Retrieved [todaysdate] from http://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/setting-up-and-facilitating-group-work-using-cooperative-learning-groups-effectively/.
- Aida Tate, E. D. (2019, January 4). Cooperative learning – planning and implementation. Thrive. https://thriveglobal.com/stories/cooperative-learning-planning-and-implementation/
Hey Thomas! I really appreciated your findings on the idea of cooperative learning. I think this method is super fascinating. I think it’s such a critical approach in online and offline learning. I can’t imagine working independently on everything, it’s a breath of fresh air to experience other people’s thoughts. I think everyone has such unique perspectives on different topics in which encourages curiosity, therefore sparks a conversation. No doubt that cooperative learning plays a significant role in active learning and listening!
Well-written post on Cooperative Learning! I appreciate your in-text citations, reference list, and strategies teachers can use if they want to integrate this approach. Thank you for thinking about cooperative learning in relation to your project. You are right different learning outcomes require different approaches. I would think about cooperative learning teaching strategies more broadly, which involves not just discussions, but problem-solving as well. Collaboration/cooperation is an essential aspect of any workplace; therefore, we want to start teaching students how to work together early on. Through cooperative learning, students not only gain knowledge about the subject matter but also foster their communication, project management, conflict resolution, and many other important skills.
Hi Thomas!
I really enjoyed reading your break down of cooperative learning. As much as I may dislike group work at face value, I have grown to appreciate the benefits of working with a group provide. I think the jigsaw example you provided is my most favorite benefit to working in groups. There is something so great about sharing and exploring individual knowledge to then end up with a stronger whole at the end.
Caitlin
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