Jeanette Gordon,

Illinois Resource Center

Definition of Cooperative LearningCooperative learning is defined by a

set of processes which help people interact together in order to accomplish a specific goal or develop an end product,,,”

Ted Panitz (1996) “A Definition of Collaborative Vs. Cooperative Learning”

engaged

positive

successful

challenged

Greater Retention for all Learners

People retain:

• 10% of what they read

• 20% of what they hear

• 30% of what they see

• 50% of what they see and hear

• 70% of what they say

• 90% of what they say as they do or teach something.

Adapted from E. Dale, Audiovisual Methods in Teaching, 1969, NY: Dryden Press.

Teaching for Meaningful Learning: A Review of Research on Inquiry-Based and Cooperative Learning

By Dr. Brigid Barron and Dr. Linda Darling-Hammond,

Stanford University

Article, edited by Roberta Furger, is excerpted from a chapter of a new book, Powerful Learning: What We Know About Teaching for Understanding.By Linda Darling-Hammond, Brigid Barron, P. David Pearson, Alan H. Schoenfeld, Elizabeth K. Stage, Timothy D. Zimmerman, Gina N. Cervetti, and Jennifer Tilson© 2008 by John Wiley & Sons Inc.

Essential Finding

“Decades of research illustrate the benefits of inquiry-based and cooperative learning to help students develop the knowledge and skills necessary to be successful in a rapidly changing world.”

Source: http://www.edutopia.org/pdfs/edutopia-teaching-for-meaningful-learning.pdf

Inquiry-based learning A student-centered, active learning approach focusing on

questioning, critical thinking, and problem solving.

1. Project-based learning

Students explore real-world problems and challenges, developing cross-curriculum skills while working in small collaborative groups.

2. Problem-based learning

Students learn through the process of solving a problem.

3. Learning by design

Students create, assess, and redesign products through stages of revisions.

Research on ELL ShadowingELL 'Shadowing' Brings

Instructional Gaps to Light By Liana Heitin in Education Week Teacher, August 24, 2011

Morrison Elementary School in Norwalk, CA

Teachers observed ELLs every 5 minutes.

ELLs used academic language only 2 minutes of the day.

Teachers learned 3 strategies:• Think/pair/share, reciprocal

teaching, & Frayer model• ELLs made remarkable gains on

state assessments in 2 years.

Ivannia Soto

Spencer Kagan’s Structural Approach to Cooperative Learning

http://www.kaganonline.com/

This approach teaches multiple ways to structure student interaction, each with a specific name. Hence, giving directions is simplified. Many outstanding resources are available.

Benefits of Cooperative Learning • Academic Achievement• Development of the Range of Intelligences• Enhancement of Thinking Skills• Development of Character Virtues• Development of Social Skills • Improvement of Race Relations• Development of Emotional Intelligence• Liking for School, Class, Self, Others, and

LearningKagan, S. Kagan Structures: Research and Rationale in a Nutshell. San

Clemente, CA: Kagan Publishing. Kagan Online Magazine, Winter 2003. www.KaganOnline.com

Academic Achievement

Development of the Range of Intelligences

Enhancement of Thinking Skills

Development of Character Virtues

Development of Social Skills

Improvement of Race Relationships

DEVELOPMENT OF EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

Liking for School, Class, Self & others

Essential Elements of Coop LearningSummary Eric Digest article by Robert J. Stahl

• A clear set of specific learning outcome objectives

• All students in the group “buy into” the targeted outcome

• Clear and complete set of task-completion directions or instructions

• Heterogeneous groups• Equal opportunity for success (J. Gordon

suggests both success and challenge for all.)

Essential Elements continued

• Positive Interdependence

• Face-to-face interaction

• Positive social interaction behaviors and attitudes

• Access to must-learn information

• Opportunities to complete required information-processing

• Sufficient time is spent learning

Essential Elements cont.• Individual accountability • Public recognition and

rewards for group academic success

• Post-group reflection (or debriefing) on within-group behaviors

ERIC Identifier: ED370881 Publication Date: 1994-03-00

Read and discuss the list of essential elements, focusing on your current practices and implications for ELLs.

Teams of 4, face each other and are able to see the front without turning around.

Teacher & overhead

If 6 partners, but 2 teams

H

M

M

L

Heterogeneous Grouping Example

Focus on One Skill at a Time T – chart is used by many to focus on skills.

Active Listening

Say DoThat’s a good idea. Listen when someone is

talkingWhat do you mean? Look at the speaker.I agree. Take notes.I think so to. Use appropriate facialOh, I see. expressions.Are you saying ____? Keep hands to self.

That’s happened to me too. Sit quietly.See source for T-charts and other graphs http://www.phschool.com/eteach/professional_development/teaching_the_social_skills/essay.html

Take notes on “map” of class.

Teacher record examples of the skill and give feedback.

One student

moved to be

able to face

the speaker

better.

The speaker made eye contact with everyone, so

it was easier for all to listen.

I saw ….I heard …

That’s a

good idea.

Caution about RolesAvoid giving common roles that

often decrease engagement.

• Material handler.

• Reader

• Writer

• Spokesperson

“I’m done. I

did my part.”

I can’t read well.

“I don’t want to do this!

Often other students are bored or off task.

“I can’t read what he wrote!”

We also want all students getting reading to speak.

Roles I RecommendGatekeeper

Clarifier

Taskmaster

Peacekeeper

Who can clarify this part?

ROLESGATEKEEPER It is your job to encourage

participation of all and to politely close the gate on someone if you feel others are not getting a chance to participate.

CLARIFIER It is your job to make sure everyone understands the directions. Check for understanding of content, and encourage others to clarify and ask questions as needed. It is not the job of the clarifier to do all the clarifying.

TASKMASTER It is your job to keep the team on task during group and class activities. Monitor noise level in the team. Encourage everyone to give the quiet signal. Keep time as needed.

PEACEKEEPER It is your job to establish and encourage praising in the team. Help the team to avoid put-downs. Get & return materials.

After doing partner and team tasks without specific roles, ask the team, “ Which of the following would you rate the highest and lowest for your team?” After a representative from each team shares the team’s answers. Introduce the roles.

GROUP PROCESSING1. We were all involved.2. We clarified if people didn’t understand.3. We all stayed on task.4. We supported each other.

Roles can help the development of these skills: ROLES

1. Gatekeeper2. Clarifier3. Taskmaster (Time Keeper)

4. Peacekeeper (Material Handler)

Suggestions for Effective Beginning

• Start with pair work (possibly with hands-on partner tasks) gradually progressing to teams of 4.

• Incorporate the essential elements of cooperative learning and include a challenge when some partners/teams finish before others.

• Model all expected behaviors. Students model.• Focus on positive behaviors when giving

feedback. Ex. “I noticed that no one in this group was making distracting noises. That helps listening.” (Such distractions may have been in another team.)

• If things aren’t going well say,” I notice this isn’t going very well for us. Is there something I could have done to help you?” Then, “Is there something you could do to help your work be more productive?”

• Progress from simple to more complex tasks.

Think-Pair-Share

• What questions do you have about cooperative learning?

• Think about your questions?

• Share with a partner, not your team.

• Volunteers share with the group.

Think-pair-share is the simplest interaction and the fastest to use.

1.Teacher asks a question.

2.Students think

3, Pair with partner

4. Share ideas with the class.

Original source: Frank Lyman and his associates, University of Maryland Howard County Southern Teacher Education Center.

SUGGESTIONS for Think-pair-share

• Identify partners first to avoid wasting time or having a student left out.

• Use 7-10 seconds of wait-time after the question. Ask students to pair only after they have time to think.

• Don’t give too much time for partner sharing or students start to get off task.

• Check to see if all got a chance to talk. (Thumbs-up ).

• Give sample sentence frames, with the easiest first.

• Use often, even with very small groups.

• Students also benefit from just thinking and pairing even if no one shares with the whole class.

• Call on volunteer. Students put thumbs up if the same idea.

• Speaker calls on volunteers who have a different idea. (They volunteer with thumbs up.)

Think-Pair-ShareEXAMPLES:• Why do you think it is important to learn ___?• How do you think ____ should resolve the

problem?• What do you think is the next number in the

pattern? Why• What do you think will happen next in the

story/experiment/process?• What do you think is the most difficult part of this

math problem?• How do you think the Native Americans living in

this region will meet their needs? Explain.

Within-Team-Jigsaw

Each person in the team has a “piece” of information.

Each person in a team must teach his/her piece of information to the team.

Team Jigsaw

Each team teaches one piece of information to the class.

Provide guidance for each team to focus on critical content. Jigsaw was developed by Elliot

Aronson

Within-Team-Jigsaw

Each person in the team is accountable for one piece of information that s/he will teach to the team, the complexity of the task may differ based on readiness.

• Teacher assigns the “pieces”.

• If ready, teams divide the info.

Team Jigsaw

Each team teaches one piece of information to the class.

• Heterogeneous groups have multilevel information.

• Homogeneous groups have appropriate level of information.

Differentiation Ideas for Using Jigsaw

• Learning is a social process.

• Interaction can generate understanding and enhance retention for all learners.

• Research has identified essential elements to promote effective applications of cooperative learning.

• Roles that are effective promote the essential elements. (Material handler, reader, writer, and spokesperson, often do not.)

• There are multiple ways to organize interaction patterns to meet different purposes.

• It is helpful to progress from simple to more complex tasks.

• Learning “what worked” for others and sharing “what works” for you promotes effective implementation.