Steps to Implement Cooperative Learning
There are five attributes that must be implemented for Cooperative Learning to succeed in the classroom:
Positive Interdependence: students must work together towards a common goal and the success of the group depends on the success of each individual in the group. There is a dependence students must have with each other to promise a successful lesson or learning experience.
Individual Accountability: this goes hand-in-hand with positive interdependence because each student must be accountable for their work and put their best effort into the work. Students in the groups should feel they can trust their partners and peers to complete and work hard on their portion of the group work.
Group Processing: Students must engage cognitively with their group members. This engagement and discussion allows for better understanding, potential for new ideas and for students who would otherwise remain quiet to share their thoughts. Students should be able to respectfully state which ideas may be unhelpful or unrelated to their work as well as coming to a clear consensus within the group of what ideas they will implement and how they will distribute the work.
Promotive Interaction: Interactions between the students in a group should be beneficial, positive, and related to the work they are doing. Positivity is a huge part of this because peers must feel comfortable enough to share their ideas and discuss with their group. In traditional classrooms, this would take place face-to-face, but in an online class it could discussion posts or break-out rooms.
Interpersonal and Small Group Social Skills: Social skills are the main way a group is going to successful when it comes to Cooperative Learning. It's the teachers responsibility to promote these social skills and guide students that may lack these skills to participate confidently in their group.