Cooperative Learning

Students helping each other learn, in small groups, with the teacher acting as facilitator. In the popular slogan, the teacher is the guide on the side, rather than the sage on the stage. More complex than simple “group work,” Cooperative Learning requires study, practice, and training of students in order to be effective and productive. A teaching strategy in which small teams of 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. Some believe it lowers academic standards by forcing high achievers to bear the burden of success for others.