Co-operative Learning Parent Information Evening Tuesday 15 January 2019

What is Co-operative Learning? Why have we chosen to use Co-operative Learning at Cononley? How does Co-operative Learning work in the classroom?

What is Co-operative Learning?

Researched, developed and refined for more than 30 years. The Co-operative Learning programme has been devised by Success for All. Evidence based Began in the 1980s Researched, developed and refined for more than 30 years. Success for All - researched, developed and refined over the last 30 years.

Key Principles of Co-operative Learning 1. Team work Children work in small, mixed ability learning teams Children are responsible for learning the material which is being taught AND also for helping their team mates learn. Team rewards (points) Children work in a team – every member of the team has a role in making the team successful.

2. Individual Accountability Initially, children work co-operatively to master a skill or concept As skill is mastered, the children work more independently – work is differentiated to meet need Individual work allows us to assess where the children are The success of the team reflects how well the team worked together initially, explaining and supporting each other.

3. Equal Opportunities for Success All children are expected to participate actively in the lesson by: Asking every child to answer each question through discussion with a partner and the rest of their team. All children have access to the same learning at the start of a new topic - they can then proceed at their own pace through differentiated tasks No-one is allowed to ‘switch off’ and sit quietly.

Why have we chosen to use Co-operative Learning at Cononley Primary School?

We wanted to make our lessons much more interactive and engaging Common shared strategies throughout school Expectation is that all children are engaged in their learning for 100% of the time. NOT sitting and listening (or looking as though they are listening) and letting a few children answer all the questions. Develop thinking skills Not assume that children’s ability is ‘fixed’.

Discussing what you are learning about with a partner or a team helps you to: Understand and remember information better Transfer information from the short term to the long term memory Deepen understanding Be aware of different ideas and perspectives Co-operative Learning can be used in every subject.

Proven way of improving children’s learning Evidence based over 30 years of research

How does Co-operative Learning work in the classroom?

Teams Rowan and Cherry Class: The whole class works as a team rather than table teams. Sycamore, Silver Birch and Oak Class: The class is organised by the teacher into table teams (4-6 pupils) Teams change every half term Silver Birch and Oak Class have different teams for the morning and for the afternoon Team names and Team cheers

All children follow the same Learning Standards:

Rewards Rewards provide positive feedback to the children and encourage them to follow the Learning Standards. Class Cheers Behaviour Pom-Poms (Cherry and Rowan) Team Score Sheets Team Certificates

Sycamore Class, Silver Birch Class and Oak Class

Talk Partners – quick questions Rather than asking questions to individual children, questions are addressed to the whole class. Children discuss the question with their partner so everyone is ready to answer Cherry and Rowan Class: Children’s names are written on lollipop sticks and are drawn out at random Sycamore, Silver Birch, Oak Class: Set of sticks with Team Name, set of sticks with numbers

Team Huddle- a problem which requires children to work together Think - Pair – Share - more complex questions which require a more detailed answer or explanation Child thinks individually for few seconds Discusses work with partner Share with team / whole class Team Huddle- a problem which requires children to work together Discuss problem or question and possible solutions with the team – need to be able to take turns.

Social Skills Enables staff to work with children to improve their social skills ‘Getting Along Together’ activities at start of year-important when our classes do not stay the same every year. Better able to work in pairs and teams Create positive, effective classrooms Provides opportunities for all children to learn and grow.