Enhancing Education through Cooperative Learning Strategies

1. Cooperative Learning Janet Branchaw Carol Hurney Jenny Knight AlixDardin

2. Cooperative Learning, a teaching strategy in which small teams, each with different students of different levels of ability, use a variety of learning activities to improve their understanding of a subject. Each member of a team is responsible not only for learning what is taught, but also for helping teammates learn.

3. Learning Paradigms

4. Why Cooperative Learning? • Research has shown that cooperative learning techniques: • promote student learning and academic achievement • increase student retention • enhance student satisfaction with their learning experience • help students develop skills in oral communication • develop students’ social skills • promote student self-esteem • help to promote positive race relations

5. Elements of Cooperative Learning • Positive Interdependence • Face-to-Face Interaction • Individual and Group Accountability • Interpersonal and Small-Group Skills • Group Processing

6. Examples of Cooperative Learning • Jigsaw • Think-Pair-Share • Three-Step Interview • Round Robin Brainstorming • Three-Minute Review • Numbered Heads Together • Team Pair Solo • Circle the Sage • Partners • Guided Reciprocal Peer Questioning • Group Projects

7. Web Sites: • Cooperative Learning • http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/intech/cooperativelearning.htm • Study Guides and Strategies (group projects) • http://www.studygs.net/cooplearn.htm • Foundation Coalition • http://www.foundationcoalition.org/home/keycomponents/collaborative_learning.html • Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative at University of British Columbia • http://www.foundationcoalition.org/home/keycomponents/collaborative_learning.html