After a month of experimenting with a variety of cooperative learning strategies in my classroom, I observed some areas of strength and weakness. Students eagerly met and conversed with others when using “Numbered Heads Together” but sometimes discussions got off topic. Many students participated in “Roundtable” or “Numbered Heads Together” activities but once in a while I would notice a student off task or not participating. The article,”Teachers’ reflections on cooperative learning: Issues of implementation” by Robyn M. Gillies and Michael Boyle, Teaching and Teacher Education, Volume 26, Issue 4, May 2010, helped me to address those issues with its’ informed references and pointed out other areas where teachers encountered problems.
Ten middle-year teachers were involved in the study. They incorporated cooperative learning strategies into a unit of work for two school terms. Afterwards, the teachers were interviewed by the researchers who asked a series of questions based around the use of those strategies ( i.e., groupings, classroom environment, motivation, cooperation, assessment).
In the study, teachers were reported to use a variety of groupings ranging from random, equal boy and girl ratio and by ability. I have kept groups to 4 members, gender and ability mixed. Some teachers explicitly or implicitly prepared the students for their tasks. I’ve kept my groups the same for this period because I’ve found that I needed to give more explicit instructions and have students practice teamwork skills in order to get better results. Grouping desks in clusters of four has provided more floor space in my room and I’ve detected a more friendlier atmosphere. In the study, teachers noticed that there was more opportunity for them to give feedback while students were engaged in activities. I’ve found that with having students working on a cooperative learning strategy like “Numbered-Heads-Together” that I tend to circulate around the room and give more frequent input on their work or ask questions about their activities.
The teachers observed students, “being positively engaged and not giving up”, and that students were, “working harmoniously in class because they had a common goal”. I have a very active class and there are usually playground problems to solve after recess. Over this past month, I have also noticed that my students will leave more of their personal problems behind in order to be a part of a successful team especially if they feel that the task is interesting.
My experience with cooperative learning strategies has been through trial and error. As there are so many types of cooperative learning strategies to choose from, I had hoped that this study might mention which ones the teachers implemented. I found this article helpful and concur with the authors that training in cooperative learning pedagogy is important.
Branching out- 