COOPERATIVE LEARNING AN INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGY

BY SHERRY SCHAEFER-ROJAS

Cooperative learning is a strategy used to enhance student learning by having students work together to discuss ideas, complete tasks and/or projects.

DEFINITION

IT LOOKS & SOUNDS LIKE...

Students discussing ideas

Listening

Helping each other

Working as a team

Students sitting next to one another

KEY ELEMENTS

Students must work as a team

Students must be held accountable

Students should be provided with time for reflection

PROS

Students with different ability levels can be grouped together

Groups can be used over a long period of time

Cooperative grouping can be used throughout content areas

CONS

Large groups can make learning challenging

Overuse of strategy makes it ineffective

Potential grouping of members according to one ability

HOW CAN I USE THIS STRATEGY?

Students can work together to solve a word problem to come up with multiple ways to solve one problem.

Have a group research a topic and create a newspaper relating to the topic, possibly assign roles to the group members.

RECAP

Cooperative Learning is a useful instructional strategy

It can be used in different subjects

Students work with peers to learn, and each student brings their own unique set of strengths