Cooperative Learning

The cooperative learning strategy can be very effective in the classroom and has both academic and social benefits. According to Johnson and Johnson, cooperative learning is defined by five principles: positive interdependence, when a student’s individual success promotes the success of their fellow group members; face-to-face promotive interaction, when group members encourage one another to learn; individual and group accountability, when all group members contribute to personal and group achievement; interpersonal and small-group skills, when all group members understand and abide by group rules; and group processing, when group members reflect and communicate which strategies have been effective and ineffective in the group (Dean, Hubbell, Pitler, & Stone, 2012, pp.37-38).

In my experience as a student, cooperative learning activities have the potential to be either beneficial or a hindrance to learning. Everyone I have talked to about cooperative learning has expressed dismay when they recall a time when they were forced to work in a group when the other group members did not carry their weight of the workload and one or two group members are forced to shoulder the brunt. However, they could also recall a time working in a group when everyone contributed equally to the project and they remember it as a positive experience. I have personally benefitted from working in a group with classmates who understood a concept in a different way. This shows me that the key to using cooperative learning is having a structure that promotes equal participation and accountability.

References:

Dean, C., Hubbell, E. R., Pitler, H., & Stone, B.J. (2012). Cooperative Learning. Classroom Instruction that Works, 2^nd Ed. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.

Jones, K. A. & Jones, J. L. (2008). Making Cooperative Learning Work in the College Classroom: An Application of the ‘Five Pillars’ of Cooperative Learning to Post-Secondary Instruction. The Journal of Effective Teaching, 8(2), 61-76.  http://www.uncw.edu/jet/articles/Vol8_2/Jones.htm