Cooperative Learning During a Pandemic
By: Chloe Hulls
Embedded Files
Here is a quick introduction on how cooperative learning is used in the classroom:
Learning Targets:
By the end of this lesson, readers should be able to explain what cooperative learning is.
Readers should also understand how virtual school has affected a fifth grade class and in what ways have cooperative learning been able to be incorporated into the classroom?
a. How the change to virtual learning affected the students and teachers.
b. The ways cooperative learning have been used in a virtual setting.
c. How to assess virtually that students are on task and understanding the information.
What is Cooperative Learning?
Cooperative learning is a great teaching practice that is beneficial to both the students and the teacher. According to Cloud (2014), “Cooperative learning is not just group work; but a very dynamic teaching strategy that is not as simple as it may seem” (p. 7). This practice consists of breaking students into small groups and assigning each student a specific task that contributes to the group's overall assignment, whatever that may be, including projects, discussions, exercises, and more. This strategy helps students learn how to work together, while also learning to complete their own personal responsibility. The extra social component to this strategy can be both a positive and a negative thing, depending on the class. This social component does have sure benefits such as learning to work as a team, solve problems cooperatively, and share responsibility. According to Zook (2018), “Understanding an opposing viewpoint helps keep students grounded in a debate and prevents them from characterizing or generalizing people who think differently from them.” When students hear different perspectives other than their own, they learn that it is ok, and even good, to think differently, which as elementary students, can shape their thinking of accepting others for years to come.
Cooperative learning Hands on Groups
Leadership Skills Roles Teamwork Discussions Social Sharing Ideas
Problem Solving Exercises
Interview: Interviewee, Chris Stovers, a current virtual, fifth grade teacher at Parkway Elementary, gave his opinions and findings on both virtual teaching and cooperative learning.
How the change to virtual learning affected the students and the teacher
Chris said he has always been a teacher that took advantage of technology, so for him, going virtual, from a strictly technology standpoint, was not difficult. He said one of the most difficult things about virtual teaching is the lack of opportunity to create emotional connection with his students. Chris is an extremely warm, social person, and from our conversation I can tell his students love and appreciate that. He told me that each day would start off with hugs and positive emotional connection that would last through out the day, even after lunch they would take a few minutes to reconnect and create love in the classroom. Chris said, “and I don't get to do that now because we're virtual, so just trying to find ways to connect with them on that level is probably the biggest challenge (C. Stovers Personal Communication, February 11th).”
The ways cooperative learning have been used in a virtual setting
When asked what kind of cooperative learning strategies he uses in his classroom he mentioned two different approaches he uses. He went on to explain the approaches saying, “I have their set groups, which is based on their skill level/ abilities. And then I have random groups, so that my strong students are working with my lower achieving students (C. Stovers Personal Communication, February 11th).” This way, while students are in groups with students of their same abilities, they are able to work together and be able to get as far as they can on a topic. On the other hand, when the higher and lower achieving students get put together, the higher achieving students are able to help the lower achieving students, and that teamwork and sharing of ideas is beneficial for them. He mentioned that a difference between in person, and virtual cooperative learning, is that he has to be more clear with assignment instructions over virtual learning. In the interview he said, “When I'm doing cooperative work virtually, I found that I do have to think about it more and have it planned out, because if they don't get it they can't just run up to me and ask me. If they are unsure of what I'm asking of them, they kind of act like they didn't know what to do, so they'll just not do it. Whereas in an in person classroom you don't have that problem. So I have to be more explicit in my direction and my instruction. (C. Stovers Personal Communication, February 11th)."
Virtually that students are on task and understanding the information
When asked how he is making sure his students are staying on task and ultimately understanding the information being taught to them, he explained a few different strategies he uses. He said, when the students “go into their breakout rooms, I monitor everything through securely. Even every website they go to, everything that they say, I'm monitoring everything (C. Stovers Personal Communication, February 11th).” He said he also has the students go into breakout rooms and have three minutes to share and learn as much as they can, then he’ll shuffle the groups and have them repeat what they've learned with the new groups. When asked how he assesses whether his students understand the information virtually he said, “I do a lot of quick questioning. If I ask them questions they tend to give me a response, whereas if I give them documents to fill out questions, they tend to just be too lazy.” In order to avoid that he tries to make everything more verbal. He explained, “because you have to think about the additional cognitive load of reading, answering the question, and learning how to operate the technology. Even just typing for them, their 5th graders, so it's overload, and so much easier to just talk (C. Stovers Personal Communication, February 11th).”
Questions:
#1. Which of these is NOT a benefit of cooperative learning?
A. Students learn how to work together.
B. Students learn leadership skills.
C. Students are able to hear others' opinions.
D. Students dont have to do as much work if they are in groups.
#2. Mrs. Jen has broken the students up into cooperative learning groups to fill out a sheet on a topic being learning in class. After the groups are done, what should Mrs. Jen do next?
A. Have the students turn them in to be graded.
B. Have the students continue to discuss until the students get bored.
C. Have the groups share their answers with the rest of the class.
D. Nothing.
Answers: #1: D. #2: C.
Conclusion:
From conducting research and this interview, I have learned more about the benefits of cooperative learning and how it helps the students and teachers in more ways than one. In “Cooperative Learning in the Classroom,” by Tyler Cloud, Cloud explains to readers that “Cooperative learning has advantages over individual work, including: social interaction, transfer of ideas, and group leadership skills” (p. 7). Because of my research and interview, I have noticed the valuable aspects cooperative learning has to students even once they've left the classroom.
References
Cloud, T. (2014). Cooperative learning in the classroom. Journal on Best Teaching Practices,
1(2), 7-8.
(C. Stovers, Personal Communication, February 11th.)
Edutopia. (2018, November 02). 60 Second-Strategy: Cooperative LEARNING ROLES. Retrieved March 23, 2021, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=zR6rTKPkjgQ
Zook, C. (2018, October 18). What is cooperative learning and how does it work? Retrieved February 16, 2021, from https://www.aeseducation.com/blog/what-is-cooperative-learning-and-how-does-it-work#:~:text=Cooperative%20learning%20is%20the%20process,blended%20learning%20or%20differentiated%20instruction.
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