Make it Happen in Your Classroom
Providing “practice” activities to complete a task cooperatively is one way to get students working in small groups. Through teambuilding exercises where students construct something together, brainstorm a topic of interest, or solve a problem, they can practice the skills they need to be successful when working in groups. These activities help to establish norms of desired behavior and provide necessary feedback to the groups. Taking the time to teach students how to get the most out of working with peers can make cooperative learning more efficient and productive.

Cooperative-learning groups may last for one lesson or the course of a long-term project. These group interactions can be embedded into an everyday classroom learning experience. To get started in a more formal cooperative group, the teacher would:

• Introduce the lesson
• Assign students to groups
• Assign roles
• Set expectations for individual contributions to the group
• Make sure students have the necessary materials and resources

The teacher then explains the process and information needed to complete the activity. The student groups work on the activity until all group members have successfully understood and completed it.

The role the teacher plays during this cooperative structure is very important. While the groups are working, the teacher moves from group to group monitoring the interaction, asking and answering questions, and redirecting attention. This is also a good time to take anecdotal records of individual students on how they are performing in their group. Once the activity is completed, the teacher evaluates the performance of each student, and students evaluate their own contributions as well as those of their group members.

In an informal cooperative group, the teacher might set up groups:

• To focus student attention
• Have students get another point of view
• Help to ensure students are processing the material being taught

Technology can play an integral role in supporting students as they work cooperatively on projects. Students can communicate with other students and connect to experts in the field. For example, while students are studying poetry from around the world they can connect to published poets through email and Web sites, get feedback from experts, or share ideas. They then can create group products using multimedia software and share their final project with an e-pal.

By using cooperative learning strategies in the classroom, Johnson and Johnson (1999) found that teachers are providing students with:

• Positive interdependence
• Face-to-face interaction
• Individual and group accountability
• Interpersonal and small group skills
• Group processing

The positive benefits of cooperative grouping far outweigh any of the negative. Using these strategies will benefit not only students but teachers by creating a student-centered environment where people interact and work together successfully.

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