COOPERATIVE OR SMALL GROUP LEARNING


Ellen Goldstein

As teachers we are always learning and exploring ways to help students understand the subject matter we are teaching. An effective teacher applies diverse teaching techniques at different times. Cooperative or small group learning is one technique that promotes active student participation in the learning process. One can find different practical examples of small group learning at City College and at other colleges in the City University system.

We know from the literature and research that cooperative or small group learning:

Following are short synapses of some articles and web sites that will be helpful to someone attempting to implement small group or cooperative learning.

Articles and Books
Synthesis of Research on Cooperative Learning by Robert Slavin presents the historical development of cooperative learning and an overview of recent research. He describes the frustration that the traditional, competitive structure of our educational system creates and points out that a program based on cooperative learning "has to be engineered" to be successful. Slavin compares the different methods (TGT, Jigsaw, STAD) and summarizes the results of twenty-seven studies that investigated the effects of cooperative learning. The results of the research clearly show that cooperative learning has to be well designed and must incorporate individual and team accountability. They also show an increase of achievements and improvements in positive inter-group relations of students. Slavin feels strongly that students should be true partners in the learning process instead of simple consumers and hopes that this will allow us to achieve educational outcomes far beyond those now considered possible.

A Handbook for Teachers in Universities and Colleges by David Newble and Robert Cannon. In Chapter Three, the authors review the educational philosophy of small group learning and provide practical approaches for the implementation of small group teaching. Again they reiterate that tasks have to be clearly defined. They point out that the role of the teacher has to change from an authoritarian style leadership to one that is faciliatory. The learning environment has to be non-threatening and trusting and the physical environment should allow for small group meetings. Newble and Cannon also provide some helpful suggestions on how to approach a variety of difficulties encountered during group interaction, furnish suggestions for some alternative group discussion techniques, such as one-to-one discussion or buzz groups, and give examples of both informal and formal evaluation.

Internet
I used Alta Vista to perform an Internet search. Using "cooperative learning" as key words (as a phrase) in the general search produced over forty-thousand listings. By using the advanced search engine and specifying "cooperative learning in science education", nine sites were listed. Here are some of the useful web sites I found in my search:

Selected ERIC Abstracts on Cooperative Learning (http://www.ascd.org/services/eric/ericcoo.html) This listing provides a good cross-section of research and applications on cooperative learning approaches. The first abstract on the list actually points out that cooperative and collaborative learning are related but use different processes. If one wants to understand some of these differences, a good web site to visit is the Cooperative/Collaborative Learning - CCL (http://www2.emc.maricopa.edu/innovation/CCL/CCLmodel.html).

Cooperative Learning in Post Secondary Education: Implications From Social Psychology for Active Learning Experience (http://miavx1.muohio.edu/~lwsherman/area906.html) This paper was originally presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association in Chicago in 1991 and revised in 1996. The paper presents some examples of cooperative pedagogical strategies which are being used in higher education and examines how experiential learning affects the learner.

Research on Cooperative Learning and Achievement: What We Know, What We Need to Know by Robert E. Slavin (http://scov.csos.jhu.edu/sfa/cooplear.html) is a paper that examines four major theoretical perspectives on cooperative learning and achievement. Slavin also identifies some of the needs for additional research.

Practical Examples
Implementing cooperative or small group learning is always part of our year-long teacher enhancement programs. Some of our middle school teachers are practicing cooperative learning in their classrooms, others tried, but were not successful, and a third group admits that they are afraid of trying it, since they fear chaos and loss of control. When discussing reasons for failure, one of the most common elements seems to be the time span teachers allow for it to succeed. We agreed that one has to try at least twenty times before giving up. Another common reason for failure is poor planning.

In my professional development programs, I like to create an awareness of students' different learning styles. To achieve this goal, I use a short learning style instrument and students identify their dominant learning style. When students break up into workshop groups, we make sure that each group has members representing the different learning styles. Once the groups start working on their projects, they begin to identify the differences in their individual learning styles. They share their knowledge either through journal reflections or through restructuring their approach to teaching and learning in their own classrooms.

When implementing cooperative learning, one has to experiment, develop a comfort zone, and adjust to the learning needs and styles of the students.

Ellen Goldstein
NASA Educational Resource Center
NAC Building, Room R5/302
(212) 650-6798
E-mail: gold3100@con2.com


Previous Page Next Page Contents
ÿ