Gateway Engineering Education Coalition Cooperative Learning Better learning through teamwork

Gateway Engineering Education Coalition2 Cooperative Learning What is cooperative learning? Benefits What makes a group “cooperative”? Three types of cooperative learning groups Concerns References

Gateway Engineering Education Coalition3 What is it? Cooperative learning is working actively in small groups to maximize learning toward a common goal

Gateway Engineering Education Coalition4 Benefits of Cooperative Learning Cooperative learning has been studied exhaustively over the last 90 years More is known about cooperative learning than nearly any other aspect of education Cooperative learning results in improved: Learning Understanding Recall Self-esteem

Gateway Engineering Education Coalition5 Benefits of Cooperative Learning Positive peer relationships are essential to success in college Cooperation among students results in: Higher achievement Greater productivity Improved relationships Better emotional health

Gateway Engineering Education Coalition6 Benefits of Cooperative Learning Cooperative learning can revitalize students and faculty Working together allows students to: Learn more Enjoy learning Develop skills Especially important because real world work is group work

Gateway Engineering Education Coalition7 What are the requirements? Cooperative learning requires Positive interdependence Individual accountability Face-to-face interaction Teamwork skills Group processing

Gateway Engineering Education Coalition8 Positive Interdependence Individual success depends on the team’s success Require consensus Assign roles Share resources Individual reward based on team’s success

Gateway Engineering Education Coalition9 Individual Accountability Individual accountability reinforces positive interdependence Evaluate performance individually and collectively Peer evaluation

Gateway Engineering Education Coalition10 Face-to-face Interaction Cooperative learning requires face-to-face interaction Interaction can be structured Provide sufficient time for interaction

Gateway Engineering Education Coalition11 Teamwork Skills Students often lack teamwork skills Identify relevant social skills Active listening Expression of differences Teamwork taught like course material Monitor and assess

Gateway Engineering Education Coalition12 Group Processing Group processing needed to keep a team functioning smoothly Regularly review performance Explain purpose and relationship to social skills

Gateway Engineering Education Coalition13 Cooperative Learning Groups Three types of cooperative learning groups Informal groups Formal groups Base groups

Gateway Engineering Education Coalition14 Informal Groups Temporary groups of short duration No more than one class period Focus attention on material to be learned Particularly useful when attention begins to lapse

Gateway Engineering Education Coalition15 Formal Groups Centered around a single task Size, duration, and composition is task dependent Team activities emphasize: Discussion, Application, and Mastery Students work to accomplish shared goals Formal evaluation

Gateway Engineering Education Coalition16 Base Groups Long term cooperative learning groups that provide support for student development Not focused on a particular task Duration of one or more terms Teams should be heterogeneous Instituted by course, college, or department

Gateway Engineering Education Coalition17 Concerns Spending all this time on group exercises will prevent me from getting through the syllabus. Effective group work requires little in-class time Pose questions to small groups Successful teaching is more than covering the syllabus. What matters is how much was actually learned. Handouts can supplement lectures

Gateway Engineering Education Coalition18 Concerns Without lecture I will lose control of the class That is one point of view On the other hand…several times during class students may become actively immersed in the material you’re trying to get them to learn

Gateway Engineering Education Coalition19 Concerns What if students resent the approach? Prepare students for it from the beginning Explain why you are doing it Better grades Teaching to others aids understanding Professional training

Gateway Engineering Education Coalition20 Concerns What about students who want to get credit without actively participating in the work? Always a danger Include provisions to ensure individual accountability Call randomly on individuals Peer evaluations

Gateway Engineering Education Coalition21 References Cooperative Learning: Making “Groupwork” Work, Karl A. Smith in Using active learning in college classes: A range of options for faculty. Tracey E. Sutherland & Charles C. Bonwell (eds.) New Directions for Teaching and Learning 67, Jossey- Bass,San Francisco. Felder, Richard M., Brent, Rebecca, Effective Strategies for Cooperative Learning, J. Cooperation & Collaboration in College Teaching, 10(2), 69-75, 2001.

Gateway Engineering Education Coalition22 References teaching.berkeley.edu/bgd/collaborative.html home.capecod.net/~tpanitz/ebook/Quotes.html html scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JTE/jte-v7n1/gokhale.jte- v7n1.html clte.asu.edu/active/mainde.htm