1. Curriculum & Staff Development Center
Cooperative Learning
Research-Based Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement
Compiled from:
Classroom Instruction That Works!
By: Robert J. Marzano, Debra J. Pickering & Jane E. Pollock
Facilitator’s Manual
By: McREL
Participant’s Manual
Curriculum & Staff Development Center
Introduction and Ice-Breaker activity

2. Training Outcomes Participants will:
learn the elements of cooperative learning
Learn what is takes for students to work successfully in cooperative groups
Identify ways to implement Cooperative Learning strategies into the classroom
Review slide

3. Discussion Question Table Talk Activity:
Think about your own experiences with cooperative learning as both a learner and as a teacher. Discuss with your table mates the pros and cons of using this strategy. Record your responses on chart paper.
Group Activity

4. Category Cooperative Learning .73 122
Ave. Effect Size (ES)
Percentile Gain
No. of ESs
Identifying Similarities and Differences
1.61 45 31
Summarizing & Note Taking
1.0 34
179
Reinforcing Effort and Providing Recognition
.80 29 21
Homework & Practice
.77 28
134
Nonlinguistic representations
.75 27
246
Cooperative Learning
.73
122
Setting Objectives & Providing Feedback
.61 23
408
Generating & Testing Hypotheses 63
Questions, Cues, and Advance Organizers
.59 22
1,251
Meta-Analysis of the research on instruction identified nine categories of instructional strategies that have a high probability of enhancing student achievement. This chart illustrates the average effect size and percentile gains realized from the use of these strategies in the classroom.
Note the highlighted row for COOPERATIVE LEARNING. Effect size is the unit of measurement that researchers use to report study results. A simple way to understand effect size is to translate into percentile gains, which is done with a mathematical formula. What this chart tells us is that on average, the use of this strategy produced a percentile gain of 27 points.
Keep in mind…….
Even though the research has taught us a great deal….. There are still some things we don’t yet know, such as…
Are some instructional strategies more effective:
~ in certain subject areas?
~ at certain grade levels?
~ with students from different backgrounds?
~ with students of different aptitude?
No strategy works will in ALL situations
AND
the effectiveness of any strategy depends on the thoughtfulness and skill the teacher brings in using the strategy

5. Four Planning Questions for Instruction
What knowledge will students learn?
Which strategies will provide evidence that students have learned that knowledge?
Which strategies will help students practice, review, and apply that knowledge?
Which strategies will help students acquire and integrate that knowledge?
When teachers begin planning they use these four questions to help understand the interaction between promoting student learning and the nine categories of effective instructional strategies.
If you have been to other Marzano trainings, these four questions may look familiar to you. To review:
Question # 1 Having the objective stated in clear and specific terms. When teachers tell students, what they are going to learn, it provides a “hook” for student to place their thinking, and helps them to focus their learning goals.
State the learning objective in clear and specific terms.
Question # 2 Asks how the teacher will know whether a student has learned the knowledge that was presented. Formative and summative
Clearly identify the expected level of performance for the knowledge that students are supposed to learn
Provide multiple opportunities for students to engage in activities that allow them to demonstrate what they are learning.
Collect additional evidence as necessary (end of unit tests, observations, self assessment.)
Use the evidence to determine the level of proficiency students are attaining
Question # 3 Asks the teachers to think about what he or she will do to teach the objective.
Help students access prior knowledge
Help students make connections between their prior knowledge and the new knowledge
Help students organize info and see patterns
Provide students with the steps and/or component parts if they are learning a skill or process
Model the steps and/or how to engage in the component parts if they are learning a skill or process
Question # 4 This final question asks teachers to think about what they will do to provide opportunities for student practice, review and application of that knowledge.
Help students clear up confusions and misconceptions they might have about information
Help students correct errors they are making as they perform a skill or process
Engage students in projects (e.g., performance tasks) that ask them to apply what they have learned in meaningful contexts.

6. Four Planning Questions for Instruction
What knowledge will students learn?
Which strategies will provide evidence that students have learned that knowledge?
Cooperative Learning
Which strategies will help students practice, review, and apply that knowledge?
Which strategies will help students acquire and integrate that knowledge?
When students work in cooperative groups, they make sense of, or construct meaning for, new knowledge by interacting with others. The Cooperative Learning strategy best fits with the question,
“Which strategies will help students practice, review and apply that knowledge?” and “Which strategies will help students acquire and integrate that knowledge?”

7. Generalizations from the Research on Cooperative Learning
Organizing groups based on ability levels should be done sparingly.
Cooperative learning groups should be rather small in size.
Cooperative learning should be used consistently and systemically, but should not be overused.
Research tells us that organizing groups by ability levels should be done sparingly. In general, homogeneous groups seems to have a postive effect on student achievement for students of all ability levels when compared to no grouping. HOWEVER, homogeneous grouping has different effects for different students and for this reason should be used sparingly.
Effects for Low Ability Students --- negative effect as students perform worse than when group homogeneously
Effects for Medium Ability --- positive and moderately strong
Effects for high ability students ---- positive but small
Research also tells us that cooperative learning groups should be small in size. Teams of 3 -4 members seem more effective than larger groups.
There should be consistent and systemic use of cooperative learning. This strategy is most effective when applied at least once a week.
When cooperative learning is overused, students have insufficient time to practice independently the skills and processes that they need to master.

8. Recommendations for Classroom Practice: Cooperative Learning
Use a variety of criteria to group students.
Use informal, formal and base groups.
Keep the groups to a manageable size.
Combine cooperative learning with other classroom structures.
Review slide – next slides go into more detail on each recommendation.

9. Recommendation # 1 Use a variety of criteria to group students.
EXPLAIN: There are four main recommendations for classroom practice related to cooperative learning. We’ll take a look at them one at a time in detail.
Ability is one criterion that can be used to group students, but we know teachers should use this criterion sparingly. Instead, group students randomly:
Picking names out of a hat
Common interests ( sports, music, TV shows )
Common experiences ( type of pet they have )
Common characteristics ( birthday month, colors they are wearing, shoes that tie, velcro, light up, etc.)

10. Recommendation # 2 Use informal, formal and base groups.
EXPLAIN: The second recommendation to use informal, formal, and base groups is based on the information from the research that varying the grouping patterns within a classroom provide students with opportunities to interact with more of their classmates. This can have a number of benefits, including providing students with different perspectives and appreciation for the variety of talents in the room.
Informal groups: pair-share, turn to your neighbor, are groups that last a short period of time – few minutes to a full class period. Use informal groups to:
Clarify expectations for a task
To focus students’ attention
To allow students time to process information
Or to provide time for closure
FORMAL GROUPS: Generally last for an extended period of time, such as several days or even weeks. Formal groups ensure that students have enough time to thoroughly complete an academic assignment. When using formal groups, include the 5 basic components of cooperative learning.
We will learn more about those 5 components in the upcoming slides.
BASE GROUPS: These gorups are long-term groups that provide students with support throughout a semester or an academic year. Base groups help to build camaraderie and create a sense of teamwork and trust. Useful for carrying out routine tasks, (making sure homework assignments have been recorded or signing up for lunch choices as well as planning and participating in activities and practicing complicated multi-step processes such as writing.

11. FORMAL GROUPS: Basic Components of Cooperative Learning
Positive Interdependence
Sense of “sink or swim” together
Face-to-Face Promotive interaction Helping each other learn, applauding efforts and success
Individual and group accountability Each of us has to contribute to the group achieving its goal
Interpersonal and small group skills Communication, trust, leadership, decision making, conflict resolution
Group processing
Reflecting on how well the team is functioning and how to function even better
Review the components one at a time
May be necessary to teach students about each of these components. Teachers can design activities to emphasize each element as it is introduced. Providing rubrics are one way to help students develop these skills.

12. Rubric for Effective Interpersonal Skills4
I actively help the group work together. I join group activities without being asked. I say what I think in a way that respects what others feel and know. 3
I join group activities without being asked. I say what I think in a way that respects what others feel and know. 2
I only join group activities when someone asks. Sometimes I say what I think in a way that hurts others’ feelings. 1
I do not join group activities, even when someone asks me. Or, I say what I think in a way that hurts others’ feelings.
Example of the rubric for effective interpersonal skills written from a student’s perspective.

13. Group Activity Distribute Hand-Out for Group Activity.
Work in Teams of 3 – 4 to read and complete. Share out results.

14. Recommendation # 3 Keep the groups to a manageable size.
Continually monitor the size of the groups and make changes when necessary.
Keep groups small as possible ( 3- 5).
REASON: Working in large groups requires different skills, which all students might not have. If students are asked to work in large groups, they might not learn the desired knowledge from the experience.
Keep the groups to a manageable size.

15. Recommendation # 4
Combine cooperative learning with other classroom structures.
Use this strategy combined with other classroom structures. Cooperative learning is NOT appropriate for all learning all of the time, nor it is appropriate for all students all of the time.
Students need time to think and work quietly on their own to practice and master skills.
Teachers should continually monitor the effects of cooperative learning on students’ learning and attitudes to ensure they aren’t overusing or misusing this strategy in classroom pracitce.

16. TABLE ACTIVITY
How does the list of pros and cons about using cooperative learning that the group generated at the beginning of this training reflect the generalizations from research and the recommended classroom practices?
Use chart from earlier activity to discuss.
Share findings with entire group.

17. Key Point # 1
Cooperative Learning is a flexible and powerful instructional strategy that should be used consistently and systematically, but is should not be overused.
Review slide

18. Key Point # 2 Positive interdependence
Teachers should ensure that the tasks they assign to formal cooperative learning groups address the five components of cooperative learning:
Positive interdependence
Face-to-face promotive interaction
Individual and group accountability
Interpersonal and small group skills
Group Processing
Review Slide

19. Key Point # 3
Teachers should use a variety of criteria for grouping students and a variety of grouping structures (i.e., informal, formal and base groups).
Review slide

20. Key Point # 4
To ensure that cooperative learning is not misused or overused, teachers should:
provide students with well structured cooperative tasks
continually monitor how well students are working in cooperative groups
what effects cooperative learning activities are having students’ learning
what feedback needs to be given to help students throughout the entire process, especially those who are not working well in their groups.
Review slide

21. Reflection on Learning
What have you learned about cooperative learning?
What questions do you have about cooperative learning?
What changes might you make in your practice related to cooperative learning?
What support might you need to make these changes?
Have participants complete Hand-Out which corresponds with questions on slide.