Group Work vs. Cooperative Learning

1. Group Work vs. Cooperative Learning • Rows and columns all day • Teacher gives a task • Teacher provides think time • Students raise hands • Teacher calls on one student • One student answers • Teacher responds • Teacher gives a task • Teacher says: • “Work together.” • “Help each other.” • Unstructured interaction • Teacher gives a task • Teacher provides think time • Student-to-student structured interaction

2. 4 Basic Principles - PIES 1. Are students on the same side? 2. Does the task require working together? 3. Is individual, public performance required? 4. Is participation approximately equal? 5. What percent of students are overtly interacting at once?

3. Forming Teams • Pair work maximizes simultaneous interaction. • Teams of Four Allow Pair Work. • Teams of Four Avoid Odd Man Out. • Teams of Four Optimize Cognitive and Linguistic Mismatch. • Teams of Four Increase Variety. • A triad often results in a pair and an outsider. • Research indicates that we learn well from someone only somewhat different from our own level of development. Groups of four provide six lines of communication. • The flexible arrangements within a team of four create variety, which enhances interest.

4. Forming Teams High High Medium Shoulder Partners Low Medium Low Face Partners • High student should always be across from the low student.

5. Quiz-Quiz-Trade Students quiz a partner, get quizzed by a partner, and then trade cards to repeat the process with a new partner. Setup: The teacher prepares a set of question cards for the class, or each student creates a question card. • The teacher tells students to “Stand up, put a hand up, and pair up.” • Partner A quizzes B. • Partner B answers. • Partner A praises or coaches. • Partner switch roles. • Partners trade cards and thank each other. • Repeat steps 1-6 a number of times.

6. Rally Variations

7. Round Table Variations

8. Numbered Heads Together Teammates put their “heads together” to reach consensus on the team’s answer. Everyone keeps on their toes because their number may be called to share the team’s answer. Setup: Teacher prepares questions or problems to ask teams. • Students number off. • Teacher poses a problem and gives think time. • Students privately write their answers. • Students stand up and “put their heads together,” showing answers, discussing, and teaching each other. • Students sit down when everyone knows the answer or has something to share. • Teacher calls a number. Students with that number answer simultaneously.

9. Timed Pair Share In pairs, students share with a partner for a predetermined time while the partner listens. Then partners switch roles. • The teacher announces a topic, states how long each student will share, and provides more think time. • In pairs, Partner A shares; Partner B listens. • Partner B responds with a positive gambit. • Partners switch roles.

10. Think-Write-RoundRobin • The teacher poses a problem to which there are multiple possible responses or solution, and provides think time. • Students independently write their response on their own paper or whiteboard. • Students take turns stating responses.