#6 Learning Groups Aka Cooperative Learning Marzano’s #6 Learning Groups Aka Cooperative Learning

Why Utilize Cooperative Groups? Students who work in cooperative Groups out perform those that don’t (Johnson et al, 1981; Walberg, 1999)

Cooperative Learning Organizing students into instructional groups Recommended 3-5 students per group Adding competition among groups does not increase achievement 3 ways to group students Informal – turn to your neighbor, pair-share; USE- check homework Formal – structured, extended assignment; USE- project (teacher ensures all 5 elements are included) Base – long term (qtr./ yr.), designed to give students a support system, build camaraderie and create teamwork. Works well with complicated, multistep processes. Allows students to give each feedback and identify strengths and weaknesses. USE – Lab experiments, writing process.

Cooperative Learning There are 5 elements of cooperative learning Positive interdependence – a sense of sink or swim together Face-to-face promotive interaction – helping each other learn individual and group accountability Interpersonal and small group skills – communication, trust, leadership, decision making and conflict resolution Group processing – reflecting on how well the group is functioning and how to function better

Tools for facilitating Cooperative learning Rubrics can be used to measure students’ progress and for students to use as part of the self-assessment process. Rubrics for Students can be found on pages for the five elements that represent the most important 21st century skills for our students: 166-168 Marzano, R. (2001) A Handbook For Classroom Instruction That Works. Alexandria, VA: McREL.

And finally… These are free make-your-own-rubric sites http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php http://www.dialogueonlearning.tc3.edu/model/environment/images/ass-rubrics.htm