What are your initial reactions to this theory/model? What are barriers to its use? What benefits might be expected for those who overcome the barriers?
This is a model that I know my way around. There is a big push for this in elementary classrooms and it's an approach I use each and every day. My students' desks are (almost always- I'll get to this later) arranged in groups of 4-5 so they can work together throughout their lessons.
As mentioned in the Johnson, Johnson, and Smith article, the first barrier to this method is that many students do not know how to cooperate in a group and must explicitly be taught these skills before being expected to work on additional content in a group setting. This arguably, though it is not included in NC Standard Course of Study, may be one of the most important skill sets we teach children today, since whatever field they go into, they are probably going to be working in a group or team at some point.
Students who overcome this barrier, however, are able to take their learning to a deeper level than they would working independently or relying just on teacher feedback. In a traditional classroom, only one student at a time gets to speak, and they have to be confident enough in their knowledge to speak up over the whole room. In cooperative learning, students are constantly engaged in their learning by talking with their classmates-analyzing and experimenting with the content. Cooperative learning is especially beneficial for students who are shy, easily distracted during traditional lecture, or need learning support from a group.
Would you attempt to use this theory/model with the students you are currently teaching or hope to teach in the future? Why or why not? Could elements of the theory/model be modified so that it would work with your current/future students?
As I mentioned, I use this strategy 180 days of the school year. My students discuss questions, ideas, and problems throughout the day and I often use "Think, Pair, Share" to allow students to process information before I call on someone to share with the whole class. They work on group projects and evaluate their final project as well as their
Like anything, however, too much of a good thing can sometimes have negative effects. After having their desks arranged in cooperative groups (rearranged every few weeks to give students new classmates to work with, a different view of the room, and a fresh chance to practice their cooperative learning group set-up) all year long, I could tell by February, that some of my kids needed a little space.
Different students seem to need breaks from this approach for different reasons. In his lecture, Dr.Oliver noted that higher level students sometimes do not benefit as much from cooperative learning. For some of these students, cooperative learner is a great way for them to lead or help share their knowledge; for others, it's a lesson in frustration- feeling like they're held back by a group. For students who are struggling, group learning helps them stay engaged and practice their knowledge and skills, but they also have the additional mental stress of being a good teammate. All students, no matter how sweet and cooperative they are, get a little frustrated with their classmates after being stuck in a trailer with 25 of them over 100+ days.
So, we have breaks. Right now, my students' desks are arranged in rows. They still are right next to one or two students and can work with a partner if necessary and we have literacy center time where they work in groups.
Since we're taking learning theories/models that were not necessarily created with the Web in mind and turning them into Web modules, what Web-based tools or resources could be leveraged to carry out this learning theory/model online?
I see many of the same tools that were discussed last week for the Problem Solving approach to be applicable to this model: Elluminate, Google Docs, Writeboard, and Second Life. Additional programs that allow students to discuss and share information like Facebook, AIM, and Skype could be useful as well.
Nice reflection on cooperative learning Rachel. I'm glad to hear you use this method regularly in support of helping students learn important group processing skills. Someone else mentioned using think-pair-share on their blog entry, so that seems to be a popular strategy, and one that can be carried out without too much classroom hassle. I was glad to see you mention Second Life. I don't think any of your other classmates mentioned that tool as one that could support this approach. It would be interesting to experiment with virtual groups in an environment like Second Life. I don't know as much about virtual environments as I should, but my few exposures have involved private rooms and shared whiteboards in conference rooms, mimicking what you imagine would take place in a face-to-face group meeting. Perhaps for online learning, a virtual environment that resembled our mental models for what cooperative learning should look like face-to-face, would be better received than a more textual or asynchronous experience. May depend on the learning curve for the virtual environment and age.
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