4+Cooperative+Learning

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Cooperative Learning (Strategy #4) Effective cooperative learning occurs when students work together to accomplish shared goals and when positive structures are in place to support that process. *Students understand that their involvement in a group means that they either fail or succeed together. *Organizing students in heterogeneous cooperative learning groups at least once a week has a significant effect on learning (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001). *Create the right type of group i.e. pair and share for small projects, base groups for long-term social and interpersonal support, and formal learning groups for larger long-term projects. The Cooperative Learning Center is a Research and Training Center housed at the University of Minnesota focusing on how students should interact with each other effectively. Their website has articles, research, a newsletter, and other resources. []
 * Criteria for effective cooperative learning: **
 * ”Positive interdependence” includes mutual goals and rewards. Each group member has different resources that must be combined to complete the assignment, and each member is assigned a specific role.
 * Students encourage individual team members’ success and help each other learn.
 * Members of the group understand that they are accountable to each other and to the group as a whole.
 * Personal skills are in place, including time management, conflict resolution, decision making, and communication.
 * Research Findings: **
 * Low-ability students perform worse when grouped in homogeneous ability groups (Kulik &Kulik, 1991, 1997; Lou et al, 1996).
 * There may be no other instructional strategy that simultaneously achieves such diverse outcomes as cooperative learning. (Cohen, 1994; Johnson, 1970; Johnson & Johnson, 1974, 1978, 1989, 1999, 2000; Kohn, 1992; Sharan, 1980; Slavin, 1977, 1991)
 * Cooperative learning can be ineffective when support structures are not in place (Reder & Simon, 1997)
 * Implementation: **
 * Keep group size small. Ideally, groups would not exceed four members.
 * Students across the spectrum of abilities benefit by heterogeneous grouping, especially low-ability students.
 * While cooperative learning is a powerful strategy, it can be overused, or misapplied. Students need time to investigate ideas and their own interests.
 * Use different methods when choosing groups i.e. birthdays, favorite colors, letters in name; in order to make random selections.
 * Develop organizational tools, forms, and other structural documents that help smooth out the process needed for effective cooperation and group work.
 * Teach specific skills before grouping students, define criteria for success, and develop rubrics for key expectations.
 * Additional Resources **

Comment from Rebecca: Great job! I love the format of this document, and your research has been very informative! I like how you included "positive interdependence" and "student encouragement" in your criteria, and your implementation strategies are very effective. Comment from Jennifer: Looks Good! Information is clear and understandable, Implementation very detailed.