Cooperative learning is a successful teaching strategy in which small teams, each with students of different levels of ability, use a variety of learning activities to improve their understanding of a subject. Each member of a team is responsible not only for learning what is taught but also for helping teammates learn, thus creating an atmosphere of achievement. Students work through the assignment until all group members successfully understand and complete it.
Cooperative efforts result in participants striving for mutual benefit so that all group members:
- gain from each other's efforts.
- recognize that all group members share a common fate.
- know that one's performance is mutually caused by oneself and one's team members.
- feel proud and jointly celebrate when a group member is recognized for achievement.
This video illustrates the team model of learning.
Why use Cooperative Learning?
Research has shown that cooperative learning techniques:
- promote student learning and academic achievement
- increase student retention
- enhance student satisfaction with their learning experience
- help students develop skills in oral communication
- develop students' social skills
- promote student self-esteem
- help to promote positive race relations
5 Elements of Cooperative Learning
It is only under certain conditions that cooperative efforts may be expected to be more productive than competitive and individualistic efforts.
Those conditions are:
Those conditions are:
1. Positive Interdependence (sink or swim together)
- Each group member's efforts are required and indispensable for
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