more co-operative learning

'Cooperative learning helps you accomplish a number of important goals simultaneously. First, it helps you raise the achievement of all students (gifted, high-achievers, medium achievers, low achievers, academically handicapped). Second, it helps you build positive relationships among students that are the heart of creating a learning community in which diversity is valued. Third, it gives students the experiences they need for healthy social, psychological, and cognitive development. (intro)'

Johnson et al., writes that co-operative learning has four steps,

1. Make pre-instructional decisions, formulate objectives, determine group size, assign roles to members, room structure, organise materials
2. Explain the task and structure, explain task and criteria, structure for positive interdependence, individual accountability, expected behaviours.
3. Monitor and intervene, monitor each group, intervene to improve task or team work, bring closure to the lesson.
4. Evaluate and Process, assess and evaluate quality and quantity, ensure students have processed their learning, have students make plans for improvements, have students celebrate their hard work. (p.1:2)

True cooperative learning writes Johnson includes five essential elements:

1. Positive interdependence, all students must believe that for one to succeed the whole group must succeed.
2. Individual accountability, each member must be accountable
3. Promote interaction, teach sharing, helping and supporting
4. Interpersonal and group skills, students need to learn how to do both task and team work
5. Group processing, members should discuss how effective they are working together

This book includes lesson plans on how to implement these five essential elements and create a positive and successful cooperative lesson. Johnson et al believes that 60-80% of all lessons should be delivered in this way.

Taken from the book: The nuts and bolts of cooperative learning by David Johnson, Roger Johnson and Edythe Holubec, 1994.