COOPERATIVE LEARNING BY ASHLEY, LAUREN, AND MATT Chapter Six

Room Arrangement Tables or desks need to be arranged to allow teacher’s unrestricted movement Groups already need to be arranged to allow for group work Provide all materials needed for each group to cut down on unnecessary student movement

Talk and Movement Procedures Students should use “six inch voices” to cut down noise levels Movement between groups should be restricted by the teacher (“Stay in your group” or “Take care of out-of-group business promptly”) Transitions should be timed so students can be accountable for how much time is left

Group Attention Signals If teacher needs to provide additional directions, students should be aware of teacher’s signals to gain their attention  “Raise your hand if you can hear me.”  “Clap if you can hear me.”  Count down  “One two three, eyes on me!” Write information on the board to avoid interrupting student concentration

Promoting Interdependence Assignments and projects that require varied skills and abilities gives students more opportunities to contribute Allow students to be responsible by contributing a unique component to the group’s product Group assignments can be given a group grade, recognition, or points

Individual Accountability Peer evaluations can keep individuals accountable for work within the group Require individual students to complete a certain portion of the group work Have students turn in individual work (notes) along with the group’s product

Benefits of Cooperative Learning Greater individual achievement Increased engagement with the content Small groups have greater potential for participation and feedback Content can be more meaningful

Benefits (continued) Active participation of students Lower and higher achieving students benefit from working together Development of interpersonal skills by engaging in tasks with a common goal with other students