Preparing Primary Teachers to Use Cooperative Learning: A Case Study Sumru Akcan sumru.akcan@boun.edu.tr Boğaziçi University, Istanbul, Turkey May, 2007

Purpose of the Study To explore the attitudes of the primary teachers towards the implementation of cooperative group work between Grades 3-5 in Language Arts and Social Studies classes.

Research Methodology Qualitative case study 14 primary teachers in a public elementary school in İstanbul Seminars between December 2005-May 2006 Class size 25-35

Data Collection Open-ended questionnaire Discussions at the end of each seminar Class observations Interviews with the teachers Artifacts

Cooperative Learning Techniques Jigsaw Think-Pair-Share Numbered Heads Circle of Writers Circle of Speakers Corners

Key Elements of Cooperative Learning Positive Interdependence Individual Accountability Social Skills Face-to-Face Interaction

Why use Cooperative Learning? (Johnson & Johnson, 1990; Kagan, 1994) Promotes learning and academic achievement Increases student retention Develops students’ social skills Helps students develop skills in oral communication Enhances student satisfaction with their learning experience.

Attitudes towards Cooperative Group Work Teachers are positive about using cooperative group work Getting information from the students individually and creating knowledge together Cooperation is an effective and useful process that makes learning more enjoyable. Different ideas & views come together.

Attitudes towards Cooperative Group Work Learning together through questioning and answering Higher retention rate since the topics are covered in detail through discussions Sharing information; completing the missing information together.

Positive Aspects of Group Work Develops self-esteem Completes one another’s knowledge Increases the speaking opportunities.

Positive Aspects of Group Work Encourages collectivism Gives the students opportunities to socialize The students learn the necessity of working & thinking together in order to accomplish the learning objectives The students compare their ideas with their peers.

Positive Aspects of Group Work The students can see their own learning levels and the others Increase their awareness of what one knows and thinks Respect the differences.

Positive Aspects of Group Work Brainstorm the information; each student can talk about his/her point of view and learns how to listen Learn how to help each other Learn to take responsibility Motivate each other to work together.

Positive Aspects of Group Work Increases the motivation of the students Competition might cause increased motivation (“Which group taught the subject matter best?”) The students had a chance to learn the subject in detail since they did an intensive search on their own.

Positive Aspects of Group Work Increases self-esteem and the students can express themselves more easily The teacher continuously updates himself/herself Develops collaboration among the group members Increases students’ creativity.

Positive Aspects of Group Work Increases the willingness to learn and work together There is a transition from “I” to “We”; group work increases the socialization process and prevents isolation of the students from the other students Increases the creativity of the teacher and also planning skills Gives the teacher an opportunity to observe the students closely.

Positive Aspects of Group Work Creates division of labor among the group members Increases cooperation Encourages students to do research Everyone has a chance to speak.

Challenges of Group Work Might not be used all the time Some students might remain passive Individual accountability Physical set-up of the class. The chairs are not movable in the class The class hours are not sufficient Timing; the students might not finish the work on time.

Challenges of Group Work Noise, classroom management problems Not applicable for every class and subject matter Large classes Size of the class Group work is not enough by itself and it should be supported with the other methodologies for effective instruction.

Suggestions Forming the groups properly based on the students’ levels and abilities; Heterogeneous grouping is recommended. Topics to be covered during group work should meet the needs and interests of the students Small size of the class (More than 20 students would be a challenge) Teachers need to plan carefully. More planning and hard work are essential for effective group work.