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Peer support and engagement are important to foster a positive and welcoming environment. It is beneficial to all students. Learning together in an inclusive environment can increase students with disabilities access and comprehension of curriculum. It helps to have cooperative learning, peer acceptance, social skills, and engagement.

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Cooperative learning can aid in an increase in the learning environment. Cooperation is when students work together to achieve goals. By having peer support cooperative learning is increased by both benefiting from each other. Cooperative learning can increase interdependence, group accountability, positive interaction, and group processing.

Importance:

Cooperative learning can take many forms. Within the cooperative learning groups more knowledgeable peers can assist those who may be struggling with understanding concepts or completing tasks. Cooperative learning structures often create situations where students must rely on each other to succeed. This interdependence encourages students to help each other, knowing that their own success is tied to the success of their peers. It gives both students an opportunity to think, comprehend, and formulate what they are trying to communicate. Cooperative learning also give students with disabilities a chance to hear other views that may aid in their own comprehension of the concept. Students are able to communicate their thoughts and opinions through cooperative learning. This can take place through activities such as:

Think-pair-share

Paired reading

Focused discussions

Challenges:

Some problems that can occur when implementing cooperative learning is that their may be an imbalance, free-riding, and conflicts. An imbalance can happen in peer supported work. Students may not contribute as much as their peers. In some groups, certain students may rely excessively on their peers to complete tasks without contributing adequately themselves. Students with disabilities may free-ride off the student they are paired with. This can cause conflicts. Students who are paired may not feel like it is fair. It is important to remember that they are both students and sometimes intervening is necessary to resolve conflicts that may arise.

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Written by Ada Rigacci

Teacher Trainer in Berlin
"Tell me and I forget.
Teach me and I remember.
Involve me and I learn"
What is Cooperative Learning?

Cooperative Learning is an instructional method in which students work in small groups to accomplish a common learning goal under the guidance of the teacher.

Cooperative learning strategies offer students the possibility to learn by applying knowledge in an environment more similar to the one they will encounter in their future work life.

Teachers get the chance to work on core competencies and on students' communication and soft skills, which are valuable for students' success in life and work, integrating them in school curricula.

Cooperative learning strategies are content-free structures that can be reused in different school contexts and we are going to learn how to use some of them.

Strategies can be used both in pairs and groups and are designed to fulfill all the so-called PIES principles: Positive interdependence, Individual accountability, Equal participation and Simultaneous interaction.

Personal Interdepence

In general we talk about positive interdependence when a gain for one is a benefit for the other. Pair and group members experience themselves as a team and are on the same side working toward the same goal.

To ensure positive interdependence while working with cooperative learning, two requisites must be met: students should feel on the same side and the task should require working together.Check out our course on collaborative learning if you wish to know more about how to promote students' colaboration and engagement in the classroom.

Individual Accountability

In the cooperative classroom, students work together as a team to create and to learn, but ultimately every individual student is responsible for his or her own performance.

It is exactly to fulfill both positive interdependence and individual accountability that in every cooperative learning strategy students are given both time to think/work alone and to interact with peers.

In this way students' autonomy and cooperation are improved.

Equal Participation

Pair and group work is usually very well welcomed by students, but the problem is that it is difficult to check whether students are equally working.

Cooperative learning strategies instead make sure every student in each team or pair is equally contributing to the final achievement. They are actually designed to make students interact and to have everyone at every step of the activity fulfil a specific task.

Simultaneous Interaction

In sequential interaction, when only one student at a time is engaged, the teacher talks (at least) twice for each time a student talks. And when the teacher is the most active participant in the classroom, students are obviously disengaged (and most likely bored as well).

Cooperative learning strategies on the contrary are designed to produce simultaneous interaction, so to engage as many students as possible simultaneously.

Cooperative Learning and Classroom Management

What teachers soon observe when working with cooperative learning strategies is that working together will offer students the chance to know their classmates better. It also helps to create a better community and therefore a warmer atmosphere in the classroom.

Cooperative learning, reducing students' disengagement and favoring the natural need of students for social interaction instead of contrasting it, helps also minimize classroom management issues.

Moreover, cooperative learning strategies often offer students a break from the lesson, giving them also the possibility to move around in class.

"Schools on the move" - The Finnish programme

The Finnish programme "Schools on the move"[5], with 90 percent of Finnish schools participating, has proven that implementing short active breaks during the lessons improves the health and wellbeing of students, as well as school enjoyment. And cooperative learning strategies are a great opportunity to engage students in active learning methods involving movement as well.

Using different strategies in class fosters communication among students, and can make the class more meaningful and fun at the same time. Communication skills are recognized to be valuable for students' future work- and personal life. But yet they are often neglected in school curricula. If you wish to promote your students' engagement in class, we recommend you check our course and learn how to enhance their communication and social skills through drama techniques.

Are Cooperative Learning Strategies difficult to implement?

Are they time consuming?

Cooperative learning strategies are not only very scalable but most of the time they require very little to no preparation. And some of them last less than 5 minutes, having in this short period of time all students in class being challenged and engaged.

Teachers can start by implementing one single strategy in their own lesson and then evaluate the outcomes in different school classes.

Strategies like Think-Pair-Share or Circle-The-Sage, for example, are not time-consuming at all and do not require a long preparation either.

Think-Pair-Share

Think-Pair-Share is the solution to the situation every teacher encounters when asking a question in class: having the same student(s) answering every single time.

Most of the students do not even feel challenged to think of a possible answer, not to mention speaking up. This happens for many reasons, probably not only due to a lack of knowledge or preparation, but also due to a lack of self-confidence.

Moreover, research on "wait time" reveals that most teachers provide an average of only one second of think time after they ask a question.

Cooperative learning strategies also engage introspective and slower students, who need time before they feel ready to answer.

In Think-Pair-Share the teacher asks a question to the whole class, as he or she would do at the beginning or at some point of the lesson.

Depending on the age and on the level of the students, it could be something that requires personal interpretation at some point or not. Students get some solo time to think about a possible answer- or to write it down- then they turn to their classmate sitting next to them and get some pair-time to share and discuss what they have just found out.

At the end of this activity, the teacher randomly chooses two or three pairs and asks them to briefly share their answers or responses.

No matter how old students are- I have successfully used this strategy not only for small children but even in my teacher training courses - it is astonishing how much mutual interaction deepens their understanding.

Pairs will most of the time succeed where single students would have probably failed.

Think-Pair-Share can also be used to have students reflect on a topic, even when no right interpretation is needed, and, being the simplest and most famous cooperative learning strategy, can be the first one to be implemented.

Circle-the-Sage

Another very effective strategy for engaging students in answering a question is Circle-the-Sage.

The teacher asks a question in class, and then asks every student who can answer it to stand up. All the other students can now choose a classmate and listen to the explanation.

Peer tutoring has proven to be very effective for both sides: high achievers, who are already familiar with content, get the chance to prove it and learn valuable communication skills at the same time.

And teachers surely don't need to be told how much you can learn by teaching! Students who missed a concept get the chance to listen to another peer explaining.

Timed-Pair-Share

Communication includes not only speaking, reading and writing, but also listening. And it is exactly in practising the latter that the next strategy focuses on.

Timed-Pair-Share is perfect for students to interact and practise the language, so it can be used in every subject where the context is everything and it makes sure every student will talk and listen for the same amount of time.

After having given a topic and some time to think about it, the teacher asks students to pair up and states how long they will share- one or two minutes are a good start. In pairs, partner A shares and partner B listens. To rapidly check if the person who is talking is the one supposed to, partners can hold a pen while sharing. At the end, partners B provide positive responses, like "I enjoyed listening to you because..." or "Your most interesting idea was..." and partner switch roles.

The strategy Timed-Pair-Share makes shy and less talkative students speak up and force everyone to be listening for a specific amount of time. Through this activity, students improve speaking and listening skills equally and get to know their classmates better.

Moreover: listening without the urge to respond helps listeners focusing on the speaker and listening only to understand, which is the definition of active listening.

In second-language instruction Timed-Pair-Share can be used with any possible topic, depending on language proficiency, whether for subjects like history or literature it can be used to ask for opinions or personal interpretations.
"Students are more open to feedback from a peer than feedback from the teacher".
Agree-Disagree Line-ups

A good way to involve some movement before starting a Timed-Pair-Share and to make sure students get to talk to everybody else in the classroom and not merely their neighbours is Agree-Disagree Line-ups.

The teacher announces a statement, such as, "I feel my opinion matters in this class" "Taxes should be raised" etc. The strongest 'agree' student stands at one end of the line while the strongest 'disagree' stands at the other. The remaining students stand between, closer to one end or the other. Through Timed-Pair-Share, students listen carefully to those with a similar point of view (those standing next to them in the line) or the teachers folds the line so they listen to and understand a point of view different from their own.

Rally Coach

An effective cooperative learning strategy to implement peer tutoring in class is Rally Coach.

In pairs, students take turns, one student solving problems while talking through their thinking aloud, while the other listens, coaches where necessary and provides positive feedback. Roles are then reversed to do another exercise.

Rally Coach can be used to maximize interaction and feedback when doing exercises in class. Students learn how to work autonomously when solving the exercise, but also how to interact, give and receive feedback from a classmate. Simultaneous interaction is provided, since every student in the class is active at the same time- either in solving the problem or coaching.

Peer tutoring's downside is that it implies that some students are weaker than others and need therefore some help. Using Rally Coach, low-achievers get the help they need when doing the exercise and learn from high-achievers when coaching.

If you want to learn how to implement these and more cooperative learning strategies, discover our online course " Cooperative and Collaborative Learning: Introducing Teamwork in Education ".

References

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What Is Cooperative Learning? 5 Strategies for your Classroom

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Cooperative Learning is an instructional method in which students work in small groups to accomplish a common learning goal with the teacher guidance.

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Promoting peer acceptance can be addressed through class-wide or individualized approaches. By having peer support and inclusion in the classroom. It helps to bridge the gap between the two. When students work together they are able to find commons between them and build solid and positive relationships.

Importance:

Through the use of peer support, collaborative learning, and peer acceptance students with disabilities can see a decrease in the perceptions that can happen. Interactions can result in less bullying and a sense of being included in the classroom environment. This can implemented by cooperative learning. Provide carefully structured cooperative learning groups and environmental arrangement strategies to support interactions. By implementing peer support, students are able to engage with peers they might talk to otherwise.

Challenges:

Challenges may arise from students who are reluctant have peer acceptance. Not everyone will be receptive to working in peer supported pairs or groups. This is normal. It is best to consistent and to continue to foster relationships in the classroom.

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Peer support is not just academic it is also social and emotional. Peer support aids in enhancing social and emotional skills. It is about fostering social and emotional skills among students. These are essential in building positive relationships, empathy, self-regulation, and communication.

Importance:

Peers support that helps to facilitate social and emotional skills play a role in the classroom. It helps to enhance communication. Students are able to communicate more effectively thorough peer support. Their social skills are enhanced by talking and engaging with their peers. Also, it helps emotionally by teaching empathy and understanding. This allows the students to understand and respect their peers thoughts and views. The peers are able to have compassion for the difference that make us unique. Self-regulation helps students manage their emotions, behaviors, and responses in social interactions. By developing self-control and their emotions, students contribute positively to group dynamics, maintain focus on learning goals, and adapt flexibly to varying situations. All of these contribute to creating an inclusive and welcoming classroom environment. This then allows for instruction and learning to progress and improve.

Challenges:

Some challenges that may occur is that some students with disabilities may require more intensive social and emotional support. When this happens it is important to have a plan in place that helps to provide the necessary support each student needs. This may result in some behavioral problems. Educators need strategies for managing behaviors, providing positive reinforcement, and creating a safe environment conducive to learning and collaboration. This way they are able to engage in peer supported learning.

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Engagement is another concept of peer support in the classroom. This includes participation, involvement, and contribution in the classroom with students supporting and learning from and with peers.

Importance:

Engagement is important to help foster the learning dynamic in the classroom. This is where student actively participate in discussions in a group or paired setting. Without engagement between peers learning in decrease and not as effective. When both parties are engaged, learning can be increased and comprehension of concepts are better understood. Peer support encourages a culture of mutual learning and respect among students, enhancing their overall educational experience and preparing them for future academic and personal challenges.

Challenges:

One challenges that can happen when facilitating engagement through peer support is if it is not implemented correctly. For peer support to be successful in the classroom it needs to have clear instructions, guide discussions, monitor group interactions, and provide timely feedback to support student learning and participation.

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Peer support is an integral part of inclusion in the classroom. Without it a classroom can not be an inclusive and welcoming environment. It is beneficial for every type of student. Cooperative learning, peer acceptance, social/emotional skills, and engagement help in aiding the classroom as a whole to be included and supported. Overall, integrating peer support, cooperative learning, peer acceptance, and social skills development enhances educational outcomes and promotes inclusivity in the classroom.

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Ties peer engagement practice guides: The power of peers: Introduction to the peer engagement implementation guides. The Power of Peers: Introduction to the Peer Engagement Implementation Guides | Institute on Community Integration Publications. https://publications.ici.umn.edu/ties/peer-engagement/practice-guides/introduction

Jlillis. (2021, July 22). 5 peer support approaches that work!. Brookes Blog. https://blog.brookespublishing.com/5-peer-support-approaches-that-work/

Corsetto, K. (2023, April 25). Promoting inclusion with peer support arrangements. n2y. https://www.n2y.com/webinars/peer-support-inclusion/

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When children feel accepted and supported by their school community, it builds a solid foundation where all students can learn and thrive socially, emotionally, and academically. Discover ways that educators can create a culture of inclusion in their classrooms, school-wide, and for school activities that take place outside of the regular curriculum.