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Cooperative Group Learning:

Critical Thinking in the Large Lecture Class

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Rique Campa

Associate Dean of the Graduate School

Professor of Wildlife Ecology

Michigan State University

Welcome to our CIRTLCast series on fostering critical thinking in STEM classrooms

Katy Meyers Emery

PhD Candidate

Michigan State University

Cooperative Group Learning: Critical Thinking in Large Lecture

ClassesKaty Meyers Emery

Department of Archaeology

Rique Campa Graduate School and Department of Fisheries

and Wildlife

Michigan State University

Goals

What is cooperative learning, why use it?

Describe how to create a classroom atmosphere that supports learning through working together – principles of cooperative learning & archaeology example

Learn strategies to avoid the potential pitfalls of cooperative learning

Cooperative Learning in STEM Education

-What is it?

-Why do it?

EXPERIENCES WITH COOPERATIVE LEARNING

AS A STUDENT OR AN INSTRUCTOR?

Does your cooperative learning activity demonstrate the principles of

cooperative learning?

Cooperative Learning Principles

• positive interdependence “sink or swim”

Johnson, Johnson, Smith. 2006. Active learning: Cooperation in the college classroom

Edina, MN. Interaction Book Company.

Does your cooperative learning activity demonstrate the principles of

cooperative learning?

Cooperative Learning Principles

• positive interdependence “sink or swim”

• individual and group accountability

Johnson, Johnson, Smith. 2006. Active learning: Cooperation in the college classroom

Edina, MN. Interaction Book Company.

Does your cooperative learning activity demonstrate the principles of

cooperative learning?

Cooperative Learning Principles

• positive interdependence “sink or swim”

• individual and group accountability

• face-2-face interactions

Johnson, Johnson, Smith. 2006. Active learning: Cooperation in the college classroom

Edina, MN. Interaction Book Company.

Does your cooperative learning activity demonstrate the principles of

cooperative learning?

Cooperative Learning Principles

• positive interdependence “sink or swim”

• individual and group accountability

• face-2-face interactions

• teamwork skills

Johnson, Johnson, Smith. 2006. Active learning: Cooperation in the college classroom

Edina, MN. Interaction Book Company.

Does your cooperative learning activity demonstrate the principles of

cooperative learning?

Cooperative Learning Principles

• positive interdependence “sink or swim”

• individual and group accountability

• face-2-face interactions

• teamwork skills

• group processing and facilitation

Johnson, Johnson, Smith. 2006. Active learning: Cooperation in the college classroom

Edina, MN. Interaction Book Company.

Using Lectures and Cooperative Learning…?

What are their weaknesses?

-Students are observing, listening, passive participants

-Students may not understand the context of the information

-Students may not be applying or using the information (practicing)

“Why do we need to know this?”

Using Lectures and Cooperative Learning…?

What are their weaknesses?

-Students are observing, listening, passive participants

-Students may not understand the context of the information

-Students may not be applying or using the information (practicing)

“Why do we need to know this?”

Ideally, we want:

-Activity-engagement

-Reflection-material in relevant context, has meaning

-Collaboration-peer-learning

-Passion-raise student interest

e.g., Cooperative Learning-Informal Groups,

Large Classes

Reflect on the class:

What were the most important points

for you?

What questions do you have or what was

the muddiest point?

Discuss with a partner:

Points that were useful, meaningful, interesting”

What questions do you have?”

Interpret/critique a model or a data set

e.g., Cooperative Learning-Informal Groups,

Large Classes

Reflect on the class:

What were the most important points

for you?

What questions do you have or what was

the muddiest point?

Discuss with a partner:

Points that were useful, meaningful, interesting”

What questions do you have?”

Interpret/critique a model or a data set

What will you do with these data?!

QUESTIONS?

Cooperative Learning

ANP 203: Introduction to Archaeology

• Large lecture class with diverse group of classes, ages, majors and experience

• Archaeology is active, allows for multiple voices, best taught by doing

• But how to incorporate into this type of class?

• Think-Pair-Share Cooperative Learning Activity

18

1. Introduction to interpreting artifacts

a. How do we use pieces of the past to interpret

behavior

2. Students ‘hired’ as archaeologists

a. Excavation of site during the year 2215

b. Artifacts are lost in transit to the lab

c. Students must work from drawings to identify

them

19

What Do Archaeologists Do?

Set Up

3. Students pair up to identify artifacts from

drawings (Think-Pair)

a. Group A: artifacts 1-4

b. Group B: artifacts 5-8

4. Students share artifact identifications to

entire class (Share)

a. Allowed to offer competing interpretations

20

What Do Archaeologists Do?

Activity Part I

5. Based on correct identifications, students must

interpret where, when and how? (Think-Pair)

a. Group A and B pair together to create

interpretation

6. Students share interpretations (Share)

a. Allowed to offer competing interpretations

7. Discuss similarities to real archaeological work

21

What Do Archaeologists Do?

Activity Part II

Benefits of Activity

• Provides small group discussion and cooperative learning opportunity

• Activity has scaffolds, easy questions to answer in pairs, then discussion, followed by harder questions

• Provides feel of real archaeological workflow

• Encourages student discussion and multiple interpretations

• There is no correct answer- just ones that are better supported by the available evidence

• Sets the tone for the entire semester

22

Learning Objectives From Participants (Enter examples on the whiteboard below)

Learning Objectives: How to address objectives:

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Critical Thinking and Peer Instruction:

Students Learning Together

October 21, 1PM ET/12PM CT/11AM MT/10AM PT

Presenter:

Bennett Goldberg, Professor of Physics and Science Education and

Director of STEM Education Initiatives, Boston University

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