Models for Cooperative Learning: From the Grade School program

Although most of these models are mainly used for grade school environment they have plenty of possibilities in adult student settings as well.

How it Works

The large oak tree outside the high school campus shades a stone picnic table. It is a favorite spot for students to gather and talk about dating, sports, TV, and, sometimes, homework and upcoming exams. Informal study groups meet there to discuss particularly troublesome aspects of algebra or chemistry. You can tell intellectual work is occurring: the concentration is evident, the seriousness is real. These groups exchange questions and explanations that are rich and intense.

Informally, such small group interaction is common. Students have always gathered together to practice and study. But there is a growing acknowledgment that combined with whole group instruction and individual work, cooperative learning should be a regular part of the week's classroom instruction.

Student interaction makes cooperative learning powerful. To accomplish their group's task, students must exchange ideas, make plans and propose solutions. Thinking through an idea and presenting it in a way that can be understood by others is intellectual work and will promote intellectual growth. The exchange of alternative ideas and viewpoints enhances that growth and stimulates broader thinking. It is the teacher's job to encourage such exchanges and structure the students' work so their communication is on-task and productive.

In addition to intellectual growth, cooperative learning enhances students' social and personal development. Group members can learn to work together in classrooms that reflect the complexity and diversity of the world. Students' lives are full of interactions with friends, family members and strangers and their futures will find them in jobs that require cooperation. The skills that are essential for productive group work in the classroom are relevant for today and the future.

What It Looks Like?

There are many ways to talk about cooperative learning. While some teachers use informal one-on-one study groups to bolster skills, other more formal structures include designated student roles and specific steps for completing long-term assignments. There is no one "right way" to develop cooperative learning, and teachers must choose models and methods that match their particular teaching styles, students, and lesson content. The ways the teacher sets up the learning groups an experience.
Studies of students in cooperative learning groups indicate that there are two elements that enhance student achievement. One is group goals. The groups should be interdependent, working together to accomplish a common product. If the students are not sharing ideas and strategies, they are missing the intellectual growth that can come from it. Relying on the skills of one group member or allowing one or two people to dominate the group's activity does not result in greater understanding for all.
Closely linked to group goals is the second element of individual accountability. Assignments should be structured so each member accomplishes a specific task. Try to provide opportunities for every group member to make a unique contribution. One or two active members should not complete all the work while passive members sit back and watch. Student groups that work together without differentiated tasks (for example, to prepare a single worksheet) have not shown significant achievement benefits.
Provide the groups a space where they can work together. Students should be able to sit in a circle or across the table from each other and work without disruption. The teacher can act as a consultant, turning problems back to the group for resolution and providing feedback on how well they are working together.

Working Together

Productive groups in the classroom rarely happen spontaneously; simply placing students together and giving them an assignment is not enough. While students may choose friends for private study groups, it is a different matter to accommodate group members in a classroom and complete a project. Students new to cooperative learning may find it difficult to stay on task and focus on the assignment. Many students have been taught in an independent, competitive atmosphere. Those experiences can not be immediately transformed to produce a relaxed, cooperative group member, eager to share and work with colleagues.
Introducing students to interpersonal skills is the first step to getting the groups to work together. Making eye contact, encouraging fellow group members, using quiet voices, disagreeing without hostility-these habits will become part of the cooperative group's repertoire, but the students will need practice. Frequent monitoring and reinforcement is essential to assure that learning is actually occurring in the groups. Establish some rules for group behavior that promote equal exchanges among members.

For example:
Contribute your ideas-they may be the key to the question
Listen to others' ideas
Give everyone a chance to speak
Ask all teammates for help before asking the teacher
Use consensus to settle disputes
A mix of different abilities, ethnic backgrounds, learning styles, and personal interests works best for productive student teams. One of the benefits of cooperative teams is the mixing of students who have not interacted before. Rather than allowing students to choose their own partners, assign students to teams that will reflect the combination you desire.

The Models

These models can enhance the effective use of cooperative learning groups. They are only a few of many such models and teachers will quickly see ways to adapt them or develop new models that match the unique requirements of an individual class.

In the Jigsaw model the student becomes a member of both a learning group and a research team. After determining the learning group's goal, the members join research teams to learn about a particular piece of the learning puzzle. Each puzzle piece must be solved to form a complete picture. Research can take many forms. The teacher may want to prepare "expert sheets" that outline readings and questions to obtain the information needed. Or the students can use their own strategies to glean information through library research, interviewing experts, or experimentation. Upon completion of the expert teams' work, the members return to their original learning groups and share the results. Class discussion, a question-and-answer session, or a graphic or dramatic production will allow the groups to share their findings with the class at large. (Originally presented by Aronson and colleagues, 1978.)

Another model, Group Investigation, is more student-directed in its approach. After the teacher presents an introduction to the unit, the students discuss what they have learned and outline possible topics for further examination. From this list of student-generated topics, each learning group chooses one and determines subtopics for each group member or team. Each student or group of students is responsible for researching his or her individual piece and preparing a brief report to bring back to the group. The group then designs a presentation (discourage a strict lecture format) and shares its findings with the entire class. Allow time for discussion at the end of the presentation. A class evaluation for each presentation can be an effective way of providing feedback to the groups. (Sharan & Shachar, 1988)

There are numerous simple models that enhance questioning, discussion, and class presentations by structuring the activity in a cooperative format. Numbered Heads Together is a way of reviewing information that has been previously presented through direct instruction or text. This model works well with unambiguous questions that allow students to easily come to consensus. Divide the students into groups of 4 and have them number off from 1 to 4. After the teacher asks the question, the groups huddle to determine the answer. The teacher calls a number and the students with that number raise their hands to respond. After the students respond, the teacher can have the others agree or disagree with a thumbs up or thumbs down. (Andrini, 1991)

To encourage responses from all students, try Think-Pair-Share. Students pair with a partner to share their responses to a question. Students are then invited to share their responses with the whole class. There are a variety of ways to share, including Stand Up and Share-everyone stands up and as each student responds he or she sits down. Anyone with a similar response also sits down. Continue until everyone is seated. Or do a "quick whip" through the class in which students respond quickly one right after another. (Andrini, 1991)

Southwest Educational Development Lab.