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Cooperative learning tips

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What children can do together today,
they can do alone tomorrow.
~ Lev Vygotsky, 1962

Cooperative learning is a powerful teaching strategy that's more than just a passing fad. Research has shown that when implemented properly, students in cooperative learning classrooms outperform their peers in traditional classrooms. The key is knowing how to implement the strategies to foster interaction while making sure all students are held accountable.

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Helpful Cooperative Learning Pages

Featured Cooperative Learning Freebies

Featured Cooperative Learning Resources

Cooperative Learning Blog Posts

Cooperative Learning Printables and Other Resources

Dr. Spencer Kagan developed the "structural" approach to cooperative learning, and I've found it to be extremely effective. I highly recommend his book Cooperative Learning which is available from Amazon.com. I'm the author of five cooperative learning books published by Kagan, and you can find those links at the bottom of this page. The activity sheets and printables below are helpful if you already know how to use Cooperative Learning strategies. If not, I would suggest reading some of Kagan's books to get you started.

Laura Candler's Cooperative Learning Books published by Kagan

Click the covers below to find each title on Amazon.com.

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What children can do together today, they can do alone tomorrow. ~ Lev Vygotsky, 1962 Cooperative learning is a powerful teaching strategy that's more than just a passing fad. Research has shown that when implemented properly, students in cooperative learning classrooms outperform their peers in traditional classrooms. The key is knowing how to implement the strategies to foster interaction while making sure all students are held accountable.

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A reflection on INTASC 3

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Diverse Learners in InTASC 3

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"The teacher understands how students differ in their approaches to learning and creates instructional opportunities that are adapted to diverse learners." Everyone is different. Everyone has different life experiences. They have had different things happen to them that has made them who they are. They have different cultural backgrounds and abilities.

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What is InTASC standard 3.

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InTASC Standard #3: Learning Environments

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The teacher works with others to create environments that support individual and collaborative learning, and that encourage positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and...

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InTASC 3 positive reinforcement.

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InTASC #3: Learning Environment - Positive Reinforcement

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Using InTASC 3 successfully in the classroom.

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InTASC Standard #3: Learning Environments

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InTASC Standard #3: Learning Environments The General Idea... This standard addresses the importance of how classrooms are designed and setup, and how it can affect student learning and collaboration. "The teacher works with others to create environments that support individual and collaborative learning, and that encourage positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self motivation."

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Visuals that help the kids stay on task.

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Check out our Visuals for Common Classroom Routines - Its editable (!!!) & includes 25 pre-made sets of visual step by step routines! From theautismhelper.com #theautismhelper

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Setting up the classroom for productive learning.

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Fidgety Children: Alternative Classroom Seating for Wiggle Worms in the Classroom

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Alternative classroom seating ideas for fidgety children that can't learn.

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InTASC 3 incorporated in the classroom.

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The teacher works with others to make a safe environment for students to learn.

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Standard #3: Learning Environments
"The teacher works with others to create environments that support individual and collaborative learning, and that encourage positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self motivation."

This Standard is important because:

Students learn best in a nurturing environment where they feel their voices are heard. There is a great deal that students can learn from one another, and that teachers can learn from students to help the learning process. Without student feedback and input, teachers often are unable to recognize their mistakes, and therefore do not act to improve them. More importantly, student feedback is important in order to provide help to students where they need it most. Communication and cooperation are critical in engaging students to the best of their ability. Most importantly, establishing a respectful environment is imperative in order to allow this level of communication to take place. Without this rapport, standards 1 and 2 are nearly impossible to effectively implement. In addition, students can learn an enormous amount from one another, and active discussion involving multiple perspectives can expose students to ways of thinking outside of what the teacher can provide. Without a positive classroom atmosphere, student engagement and motivation will be low, and lack of engagement inevitably leads to poor performance.

During my experience I observed/tried the following examples of this standard:

This standard represented perhaps Mrs. Neyman's weakest area of teaching. Although she genuinely tried to help her students and create a positive environment, I believe that she inadvertently sometimes created the opposite.

Body language presented a real challenge. As the week progressed, there was a marked and noticeable deterioration in her body language as she became increasingly run down by the demands of the job. By the end of the week, she spoke wearily, without a great deal of enthusiasm or interest, almost sounding as if she was bored with the material herself. When you sound like you are bored, how do you expect the students to be interested? I believe that her deterioration also seemed to make the class more restless and misbehaved, although there could have been other factors at work.

Her frustration with misbehavior also had unfortunate consequences. In one instance, the class had become bogged down as Mrs. Neyman was passing back papers to various students so that they could utilize them in studying for the TAKS test. Because passing back papers was taking so long, the bored students were talking incessantly. In order to speed up class, one girl politely asked Mrs. Neyman if she could help pass back papers. She received an extremely cold, curt and slightly angry sounding "no" from the teacher. In fact, she often sounded angry, I believe unintentionally so. Her tiredness compounded the issue, creating an oppressive environment where none should have existed.

The largest problem she faced was to simply keep students engaged and interested. She told me that "This is an area I really need to work on myself-how to keep students motivated". During my first meeting with her, she told me "But you can't make them care". I responded dubiously in my notes "Oh really? We'll see about that!" To be certain, many of the students in her classes were unmotivated - the relatively small sample of raised hands and the glazed looks during lectures were testament to this problem. No teacher will be able to motivate every student, but it is something that should be a foremost priority and there can be a great deal done to make students care.

Choices were rarely offered to the students, and during my time observing they rarely did any group work or open discussion. Students had precious few opportunities to have their opinions and feelings heard. At the same time however, when those opportunities did arise few students took advantage of them, part of the general malaise of the room. Probably the best lesson she taught was some TAKS review right before the test. Instead of working off of a predetermined set of facts as she previously had, the day was devoted to answering students questions and building off of them. Students rarely had the whole answer, but she took the various fragments of information given to her and connected them together.

Students also did not gain a lot of opportunities to work independently and think on their own beyond tests, as opposed to activities led and controlled at every step by Mrs. Neyman. There were notable exceptions however, such as when she had students respond to a movie by writing a letter as if they were one of the characters in the movie, which gave them an opportunity to think about things in new ways.

One very tiny instance that I feel represents this standard occurred when I went over the answers of a TAKS review exercise with the class. A student had incorrectly answered that the point of the Union naval blockade of the Confederacy was to capture Richmond, which was the goal of the Union army. Instead of shutting the student down, I attempted to allow him to keep the most dignity possible and said "No, but that is exactly what the Union army tried to do. You're on the right track...." This kind of small gesture, while fairly insignificant in and of itself, can cumulatively have great rewards down the road.

Some Other Things I Could Do To Meet This Standard Are:

I have had little opportunity to bring this standard into action, as my interactions with the class and planning of activities has been extremely minimal. However, as with standards #1-2, I believe that the key to successfully implementing this standard rests in establishing a positive relationship with your students. It is important that students

feel like their voices can be heard and that they are welcome in the classroom. Teachers should always welcome feedback from their students, as long as it is done so in an appropriate manner. If they perceive something as unfair, I would encourage them to speak up. This is particularly important if the class as a whole needs to make adjustments or is having difficulty coping with the material. I will always do my utmost to be flexible if students present adequate reasons for me to do so.

Communication is the key, and it is important that students are also given the opportunity to interact and learn from one another, both in group work and classroom wide discussions or other activities. I should treat each student with the utmost respect, even if they are being disrespectful towards myself or other members of the class (which does not at all mean I would tolerate such behavior). I would try to urge students to be respectful towards one another, and model this during discussion.

Choices are one tool which can be utilized in order to help foster a positive atmosphere in the classroom. Giving students choices (provided both choices are acceptable to you) gives them a sense of empowerment, and the feeling that their voices are heard. It is a common stereotype (with some truth) that many of the kids who talkatively disrupt class are doing so in order to gain attention, either from the teacher or their peers. While I cannot control what their peers think, I can correct the students behavior in a manner that makes it clear that although they are taking an inappropriate action to state their problems, I am willing to listen and help them if they tell me appropriately.

Rules should certainly be established; however I do believe that most rules "exist to be broken". Therefore, I would invite the class to help set reasonable expectations for the room, while making clear that although certain behaviors will likely not be tolerated, every situation is different and therefore I should respond in a manner suited to that case.

Organization and time management will be two skills which I can tell will need work. Even during my brief moments of teaching I felt disorganized and pressed for time, even when neither of these factors was the case.

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INTASC Standard 3 - Learning Environments

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Standard #3: Learning Environments "The teacher works with others to create environments that support individual and collaborative learning, and that encourage positive social interaction, active engagement in learning, and self motivation." This Standard is important because: Students learn best in a nurturing environment where they feel their voices are heard.