Cooperative Grouping

I realize that there are many backgrounds pertaining to socioeconomic, cultural, ethnic, and religious beliefs within my classroom. My goal is to make it a place where they ALL feel welcome. To do this, students need to be comfortable with each other. By integrating a strategy like cooperative grouping into my classroom environment, students will be working and communicating with one another regularly. That is, students will have opportunities to work with each of their classmates. Examples of this method would be:

• Think-Pair-Share: Students given a question and have time to think about it before they share their thoughts with a partner, and ultimately the class through discussion.

• Experts: Groups consist of four students who collaborate on a topic and become "experts." Once all groups are finished, each will share with the other group the information that they have learnt.

Not only does this help students engage in critical thinking and discussion, but it also gives them the chance to collaborate and learn with one another.

My role in this method would be as a facilitator. I would give the students a set of clear expectations and be available throughout the collaborative learning process.