Structuring Learning for Success Cooperative Learning Strategies for Active Student Engagement

Workshop Goals I will understand the difference between cooperative learning and group work. I will explore the research on cooperative learning. I will create connections to my standards and my classroom

Teamwork??

Instructional Strategies: from Classroom Instruction That Works 1. Identify similarities & differences 2. Summarizing & note taking 3. Reinforcing effort & providing recognition 4. Homework & practice 5. Nonlinguistic representations 6. Cooperative learning 7. Setting objectives & providing feedback 8. Generating & testing hypotheses 9. Questions, cues, & advance organizers

Time in Lecture when Information was Presented Percentage Retained 10 min 50 min 70% 20% Active exercises Straight lecture We must change the tempo of instruction every 10 minutes

Quiet Signal Raise Hand Focus on the speaker Signal others The group should become quiet in 3 to 5 seconds 20 school days are lost each year gaining student attention

Basic Principles of Cooperative Learning Positive Interdependence “Is my gain your gain?” Individual Accountability “Is individual public performance required?” Equal Participation “How equal is the participation?” Simultaneous Interaction “What percent are overtly (talking, writing, drawing) active at once?” Spencer Kagan, 1994

Cooperative Learning Caution Organizing groups based on ability levels should be done sparingly. Cooperative groups should be kept small in size. (teams of 3 or 4) Cooperative learning should be applied consistently and systemically

Why Use Cooperative Learning? Improved student achievement Improved student persistence Improved student attitude Less marking and better papers

Take a bow Please stand up if… You are a principal You are left handed You have principles You balance your check book You have finished your Christmas shopping You have a twin You teach elementary age children You teach hormonally charged children You teach while you are hormonally charged You provide school division leadership You have children

Take a bow Please stand up if… You are a principal You are left handed You have principles You balance your check book You have finished your Christmas shopping You have a twin You teach elementary age children You teach hormonally charged children You teach while you are hormonally charged You provide school division leadership You have children

Mix it Up in the Box Listen for the topic and the amount of time Silently mix around the room When music stops pair up with person closest to you In pairs, Partner A shares and Partner B listens Partner B responds to what he/she heard “Thanks for sharing or You are interesting to listen to” Switch Roles

Thinking inside the Box 1 2 3 4 If you could have any job in the world outside of the field of education what would it be. Why would you choose it? Your skills are not a factor. YOU can do anything!!! Make a list of the things you would do to make your current job easier. You have no budgetary limitations. Look at the picture. What do you think we will study today? Complete this sentence: We will probably learn about_______.

Thinking inside the Box 1 2 3 4 If you could have any job in the world outside of the field your currently work in what would it be? Why would you choose it? Your skills are not a factor. YOU can do anything!!! Make a list of the things you would do to make your current job easier if you had no budgetary limits. What do you like to do in your free time F U N Look at the picture. What do you think we will study today? Complete this sentence: We will probably learn about _______. Tell which University you graduated from Tell something no one knows about you

The average student talks 35 seconds a day. The student who is talking is growing dendrites.

Blind Sequencing Team members place all the cards on the table face down Each team member selects a card without showing it to anyone else. Team members take turns describing what they see on their card and placing them in sequential order. As a team come up with one sentence to describe the sequence you created.

Life Cycle of a Frog

Metamorphosis Metamorphosis is the change that a frog goes through during its life cycle. There are four main stages in the life cycle of a frog.

Egg The first stage in the life cycle of a frog is the egg. A frog lays many eggs at one time. The eggs are covered with a jellylike coating.

Tadpole The second stage of a frog life cycle is the tadpole. Hatched tadpoles have gills for breathing in the water. They have a tail, but no legs.

As a tadpole grows, lungs begin to form. Back and front legs begin to grow. These parts allow the adult frog to live on land.

Adult Frog Once the lungs form and begin to work, the gills and tail disappear. The adult frog is now ready to live on land.

What is the first stage of the frog life cycle?

The first stage of the frog life cycle is the egg.

What is the second stage of the frog life cycle?

The second stage of the frog life cycle is the tadpole.

What is the last stage of the frog life cycle?

The last stage of the frog life cycle is the adult frog.

Teacher A Traditional Teacher B Group Work Teacher C Cooperative Learning Teacher asks a question Wait time Students put their hands up Teacher calls on one student One student will answer Teacher responds Talk it over Pair discussion Team discussion “Work together” Ask a question Teacher gives wait time Student to student interaction

Stand Up, Hand Up, Pair Up Teacher says, stand up, hand up, and pair up! Students stand up and keep one hand in the air until they find their closest partner who is not a teammate Teacher asks a question or gives an assignment Teacher provides think time Partners share Ideas….. Stand up and summarize the main points of the lesson Stand up and tell how we just learned is connected to what we learned yesterday Stand up and compare and contrast two ideas

Rally Coach Partner A solves the 1st problem, talking out loud about the steps to solving. Partner B watches and listens and coaches as needed and praises. Partner B solves the next problem. Partner A watches and listens, checks and or coaches and praises. Repeat starting at step 1.

A B 1 (+) 2 (+) 26 42 8 4 7 22 63 8 4 (+) 3 (+) 18 25 2 19 23 7

Forming Teams Set up: Class list, 3x5 cards for each student Step 1: Make Cards Step 2: Sort Cards Step 3: Color Code Cards Step 4: Form Teams

Make an index card for each student Student name Santa Claus Male 98% or H Quiz grade or make of high, middle, low gender

Sort Cards Do the Math How many students? Four levels of groups B. C. Do the Math How many students? Four levels of groups 29 students divided by 4 High Medium Low Remainders 1=HM or LM 2=HM + LM 3=3 different boxes

Color Code the Cards Blue = High Red = Low Yellow = Medium Low Santa Claus Blue = High Red = Low Yellow = Medium Low Green = High Medium 98% or H Male

Form Teams 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Blue Betty Green Sue Yellow Sam Red Fred

Reminders Mix boys and girls Extras 2 boys and 2 girls 3 girls and 1 boy Extras 1 team of 5 2 teams of 3 1 team of 3

Management Tips Quiet Signal Number Seats AB Partner on the same side Form mixed ability teams Determine who goes first

Any Questions? Are there any questions? Is that clear? This is a waste of time. It may break up the lecture a little but it does not really help with learning.

Good Questions Provoke curiosity, stimulate thought, illustrate meaning, … Define a concept in your own words Explain familiar phenomena in terms of course concepts Predict system behaviour before calculating Think about what has been calculated Brainstorm Formulate questions Summarize

Thank you for your time and energy! Remember one thing… “If you ever think you are too small to make an impact, try going to bed with a mosquito!” Thank you for your time and energy!