Harry Wongs chapter 23- cooperative learning

We will be discussing cooperative learning and how it helps. 

 Mr. Wong says that "cooperative learning is a win-win situation." I am going to whole heartedly agree with this statement. When a teacher is up in front of the class teaching they can not possibly know which student is understand and which is not. Being in a small group those students may feel more comfortable letting their peers know they need a bit of help understanding. Cooperative learning refers to a set of instructional techniqueswhereby students work in small, mixed-ability groups. What this may look like is:  

• The teacher presents a lesson to the students.
• He student groups are given activities to master the objectives.
• The teacher teaches group and study strategies.
• The student work together to help one another master the objectives. 

Cooperative learning also help students compete only against themselves. Our society now has normalized the idea of competing against one another. Like Mr. Wong states " your mission in life is not to get ahead of other people; your mission is to get ahead of yourself." In cooperative learning no one student is responsible for themselves but for the group as a whole. Now I see my Pre K students sit in tables and are al, assigned to a buddy. This is because the teacher wants them to talk and try to come up with a solution by themselves. This is also extremely helpful because those who struggle can be partnered with those who have mastered the concept. That way they can help one another and they build up their social skills, and conflict management skills. Although this idea does seem great there are some cons to this. For example when you ask students to break up into groups you may get some groans or questions asking how long they will be in that group. Well "Effective grouping is dependent on two major factors." 

1. The class climate
2. The explanation 

When students don't cooperate the ineffective teacher is at a loss so remember " It is the teacher who is responsible for the success of the classroom. " This means that students do play a huge role in the classroom but that does not mean they control the classroom. An effective teacher doesn't give vague directions knowing that will provoke comments like "Do I have to do this." A teacher must give directions that are easily comprehended if not students will start to act up. 

 I really enjoy this method because I know that making new friends is also kind of awkward and this method helps students get to know each other. It also helps them feel more confident when they are having trouble if they are asking someone they know and trust. It is also a great way to get different learning styles mixed in. Students all learn differently and being in a group with other different learners can help them learn new learning methods. You can also assign each student a diffrent job to accomplish in each group. Do make sure to explain that although someone is in charge of a specific job it doesn't mean they do all the work alone. It means they make sure it gets done right and everyone participates. Make sure that the jobs are changed every other week. Oh and also try calling the. Support groups not just groups or tables. Because that is what we want a support group where we all want the other to accomplish so much. 

This website gives you some cooperative strategies

Here are some cooperative learning tips and techniques.

This website has some great cooperative games that you should try!