Cooperative Learning

Trudie Hughes
 Definition of Cooperative
Learning
 An instructional arrangement in
which small groups or teams of
students work together to achieve
team success in a manner that
promotes the students’ responsibility
for their own learning as well as the
learning of others (Mercer & Mercer,
2001).
 Description of Cooperative
Learning
 Provides students with an opportunity to
practice skills or learn content presented
by the teacher.
 Emphasizes team goals, and team
success only if each individual learns.
 Conducive for creating successful
inclusive experiences with students with
disabilities.
 Methods of Cooperative
Learning
 Student Learning  Teams-Games-
Teams (SLT) Tournament (TGT)
(Slavin, 1991) (DeVries & Slavin,
 Student Teams- 1978; Slavin,
Achievement 1986)
Divisions (STAD)  Full Option Science
(Slavin, 1978, System (FOSS)
1986) (Britannica, 1991)
 Student Learning Teams
(SLT)
Team goals are achieved when each
member achieves selected academic
objectives.
Emphasizes: team reward, individual
accountability, and equal opportunities for
success.
Team rewards are earned when a team
achieves at or above a predetermined
criterion level.
 Student Teams-Achievement
Divisions (STAD)
 Heterogeneous group of four students are
assigned to a team.
 Students work together to ensure all
students have mastered the lesson after
initial teacher led instruction.
 Students take individual quizzes without
peer assistance.
 Quiz scores are compared to past
averages, points are awarded based on
progress from past performance.
STAD Format
 Teach: Present Lesson
 Team Study: Students work on
worksheets in their teams to master the
material
 Tests: Students take individual quizzes
or other assessments
 Team Recognition: Team scores are
computed on the basis of team members’
scores, and certificates, a class
newsletter, or a bulletin board recognizes
high-scoring teams
Teams-Games-Tournament
 Same procedures as STAD on initial
instruction and heterogeneous groups.
 Quizzes are replaced with weekly
tournaments.
 Students can compete with players from
another team to earn points.
 Students compete at three-member
tournament tables with others who have
similar skill levels on target skills.
Jigsaw
 Students are assigned to 6 member team
 Academic material has been broken down
into sections
 Each team member reads his/her section
of the material
 Members of different teams who have
studied the same sections meet in expert
groups to discuss their sections.
 Students return to their teams and take
turns teaching their teammates about
their sections
Jigsaw II
 Students work in 4-5 member teams
 All students read the same common text, such
as a book chapter
 Each student receives a topic on which to
become an expert
 Students with the same topics meet in expert
groups to discuss
 Students return to their teams to teach what
they have learned to their teammates
 Students take individual quizzes, which result in
a team score
Full Option Science System
(FOSS)
 Four students work  Reader
together and take  Recorder
turns with different  Getter
roles to complete a
particular science  Starter
activity.
 Reader
 Reads all print instructions.
 Ensures that all students in the
group understand the task.
 Summarizes the activity for the
group.
 Recorder
 Records all data: observations,
predictions, and estimations.
 Uses chart and graph paper.
Getter
 Responsible for getting all materials
and returning all materials after
activity is completed.
Starter
 Begins the manipulations of the
materials.
 Supervises the assembly of
materials.
 Ensures that all group members
participate.
Classwide Peer Tutoring
 Whole class activity which
emphasizes reciprocal tutoring,
frequent opportunities to respond,
and immediate feedback.
Peer Tutoring
 Classwide Peer Tutoring – Juniper
Gardens Children’s Project
(Delquadri, Greenwood, Whorton,
Carta, & Hall, 1986).
 Peer Assisted Learning Strategies –
George Peabody College of
Vanderbilt University (Fuchs,
Mathes, & Fuchs, 1993).
Types of Peer Tutoring
 Cross-age tutoring: the tutor is
several years older than the student
being taught
 Same-age tutoring: student tutors a
classmate
 Juniper Gardens Project
(JGP)
 Designed to help students with mild
disabilities improve their basic skills.
 Integrated behavior management
and direct instruction procedure.
 Based on reciprocal peer tutoring
and group-oriented reinforcement
contingencies.
JGP Cont.
 Peers are used to supervise
responding and practice.
 Game format is used that includes
points and competing teams.
 Weekly evaluation plan ensures
gains in individual and class
progress.
JGP Features
 Each student tutors for 10 minutes and
then receives 10 minutes of tutoring.
 Systematic procedures for dividing class
into two heterogeneous teams.
 During sessions, the teacher monitors
student’s behavior and awards points for
good tutoring behavior.
 Individual and team points are displayed.
 On Friday the teacher conducts a more
intensive assessment of each student’s
progress.
 Peer Assisted Learning
Strategies (PALS)
 Incorporates strategy-based reading
practice.
 Partner reading: students take turns
reading aloud, correcting errors, and
retelling what they read.
 Paragraph shrinking: students take turns
reading paragraph aloud, correcting
errors, and stating main idea.
 PALS Cont.
 Prediction relay: students take turns
predicting what happens next,
reading the next passage aloud,
correcting errors, verifying
predictions, summarizing the text,
and making more predictions.