Quality teaching and effective learning situations can be enhanced

through the use of Cooperative Learning

Workshop – acquiring the basics#

“there is more to cooperative learning than a seating arrangement. Placing students in groups and telling them to work together does not in and of itself result in cooperative learning’. (source unknown)

#

What do we know about effective learning?Students need: emotional and physical well being attended to a secure and supportive environment in which

they feel valued and respected stimulating and varied input recognition of their individual learning styles

and abilities. to transfer concepts and skills across various

contexts to link new ideas with existing understandings to recognise patterns to be motivated (by need/interest/real purposes)

•to construct understandings for themselves•a physical environment that supports learning•dialogue and collaboration with others•time to gather, process, digest and practise•to reflect on their learning. •responsibility for their learning•emotional engagement•authentic, direct experiences as sources of new information/ideas•involvement in setting personal goals•creative potential tapped across curriculum•to be challenged beyond what they know

Munroe,J. 1993; Aitkin, J. 1997; Hornsby and Murdoch, 1998; Boomer, G. 1982; Caine, G. and Caine, R. 1991, 2000; Gardner, H. 1991; Novak, J. 1989; Marzano et

al . 2001, Education Queensland ‘New Basics’ project, 2001.

PEEL Principles of Teaching for Quality Learning1. Share intellectual control with students.2. Create occasions when students can work out part (or all) of the content or instructions.3. Provide opportunities for choice and independent decision-making. 4. Provide a diverse ways for students to experience success.5. Promote talk that is exploratory, tentative and hypothetical.6. Encourage students to learn from other students’ questions and comments.7. Build a classroom environment that supports risk-taking.8. Use a wide variety of intellectually challenging teaching procedures.9. Use teaching procedures that are designed to promote specific aspects of quality learning.10.Develop students: awareness of the big picture: how the various activities fit together and link to the big ideas.11.Regularly raise students’ awareness of the nature of different

aspects of quality learning. (Metacognition)12.Promote assessment as part of the learning process.

Cooperative Learning

Influences….

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Six Key Concepts that underpin /essential to the effective use of Cooperative Learning (page 2)

Teams Will Manage (ment) Social Skills and Principles – P.I.E.S through Structures #

TEAMS Teams – no’s 4 Length of time in a team 5 weeks (min) The ‘abilities’ mix in a team

High - blue, High Medium - green,

Low Medium - yellow, Low – red page 27 - 28 (‘abilities’ work best in this arrangement; students

are not told their ability type – teacher carefully allocates the colours as if by

random) Working in pairs shoulder partners or face partners

High High Medium

Low Medium

Low

Face partners

Sh

ou

lder

partn

ers

Physical Seating Options pg 26

Seating Arrangement for Mixed Ability group

WILL page 10 - 19

Classbuilding – fun activities that build up trust and a positive classroom climate *done at least once a week

*stand up, move around *form pairs, partnerships

Teambuilding – fun, social activities that can be used as state changers; develop trust and social skills

* done at least 2 a week * non academic * easy enough for everyone to participate

MANAGE(MENT) There are 12 social roles that can be used

for team projects and team discussions. Every person in the team has a role.

Each role has corresponding social skills

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Manage(ment) cont’d

a quiet signal : raise hand and say ‘high five’ (more suggestions pg 21-22,24)

number the seats: same order for each table

shoulder partner and face partners are named Person A and Person B

materials : 1 student per team collects /passes out (Selector tool can assist)

Sponge tasks: “When you’re done, do this…” write these tasks on the b/b

- Time allocated to tasks (Timer Tool can assist)

Manage(ment) cont’d

Music: - solo work such as journal writing, creative

writing, silent reading etc should be 60 beats / minute (slow and no words)

- Students entering or leaving the room, when energy is needed, any kind of movement use music with words at 120 beats per minute

(music from 50’s, 60’s and 70’s)

Social Skills

Your observations

Teach the social skills

Principles

P ositive Interdependence

I ndividual Accountability

E qual Participation

S imultaneous Interaction

Principles cont’d

Why Learn about PIES?

* To ensure that activities / learning experiences are cooperative learning and not groupwork

* To evaluate new /old teaching and learning activities

* To put things back on track; use PIES to see where CL is broken (refer to pg 9, 54)

Structures

Round Robin Variations - oral activities Round table variations - written activities

Working in Pairs pg43 – 45 , 57

Evaluation / Reflection

Pg 52 - 53

Websites

http://www.ed.gov/pubs/OR/ConsumerGuides/cooplear.html

http://www.kaganonline.com/

http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/cooperative/front_cooperative.htm