Student-Centered Strategies

1. Student-Centered Strategies Cooperative Learning (Group Work)

2. Description • A general term for a collection of teaching strategies designed to foster group cooperation and interaction among students.p261 • Students working together towards a common goal.

3. 5 Essential Elements for Learning Strategies • Social interaction is used to facilitate learning. • Students work together in groups on clearly assigned tasks. • Learning objectives create group goals that direct learning activities with the group. • Teachers hold students individually accountable for their learning. • Students develop collaboration skills while also learning content objectives. p262

4. Advantages • Encourages students • Promotes clear thinking and learning • Social interaction • Construct knowledge building on others • Group goals motivate children to help each other. • Learn both social and interaction skills • p263

5. Disadvantages • Student accountability • Off task behaviors • Failure to get along • Misbehavior • Ineffective use of group time • P264-265

6. Why I choose this strategy • The reason I choose this strategy is because I believe it is one of the most important things children learn in school, the ability to work together. In every situation in life we must learn to work with others, so it is important for me as a teacher to implement group work in my classroom one day.

7. How I will use this strategy in my classroom • Group Work during math or science or even social studies. • Think-pair-share during silent reading activities. • Any opportunity for the students to learn from one another I will take advantage of.