Cooperative Learning

What successful teachers do… Fight boredom by using classroom strategies that stimulate student interest. Varying instructional strategies can stimulate student interest.

Cooperative Learning Actively engages students The learning task is structured so that students must engage and produce so that all achieve mastery It is easier to complete the assignment as a team. Group accountability, Individual accountability Promotes Peer learning Focuses on interpersonal skills

It’s not cooperative learning if…. there is no structure to focus the group it becomes “social hour” If there is no individual growth/participation If it does not actively involve each member

Everybody Needs Job! Group Captain Reads the task aloud to the group Checks that everyone is listening Makes the task as clear as possible Keeps things running smoothly Materials Manager Gathers, distributes, and collects all materials/supplies Recorder Fills out paperwork Writes ideas down Shares the groups results with the rest of the class Coach/Timekeeper Makes sure that everyone has an equal chance to participate Offers praise and encouragement Keeps things fair

Team Task Open the folder and examine the contents Randomly pass out 3 pieces to each student Each member of your group must build a square that consists of only 3 pieces. You MAY NOT ask another student for a piece. He/she must offer it to you!

Jigsaw Establish the Home Team Team Building Activity Assign a Team Task Gathering information in Expert Groups Return to the Home Team to complete the task

Establish the home teams Select a team name and create a team chant Design a graphic organizer that shows me that you know how to manage cooperative learning groups Break into your expert groups Return to your home teams to complete the task

For next time… Select a topic of study for your cooperative lesson –Better to learn about in a group –Can be broken into sections

Jigsaw Lesson Plan Concept/goal Objectives Standards Materials Anticipatory Set –Hook –Link to Prior Knowledge Establish Home Team –Diff. based on interest –Team Building Activity –Assign a team task Break into expert groups Return to the home team to complete team task Closing Assessment Extended Activity

Assign one topic to each member of your group Survival on the Oregon Trail Children on the Oregon Trail Life on the Oregon Trail Traveling on the Oregon Trail

Home Team folder #1 Team Building Activity Directions –Pick a last name for your family –Pick names and roles for the people in your family –Use the Name list to help you pick names that were appropriate –Draw a picture of yourself –Cut your family members out and glue them to the covered wagon

Team Task… You are to create a scrapbook that depicts what life was like for people journeying west on the Oregon Trail. –2-3 pages per team member –Each page should have a picture and a 3-5 sentence description –Pages should be collected to create a scrapbook that tells the story of your family’s journey

Best Practice Teaching Linked with Differentiation People learn best under these conditions –What they learn is personally meaningful –They can learn in their own way, have choices, and feel in control –They use what they know to construct new knowledge

Interest is the doorway to learning

Interest What a student enjoys learning about, thinking about, and doing. The goal of interest differentiation is to help students connect with new information, understanding, and skills by revealing connections with things they already find appealing, intriguing, relevant, and worthwhile

Differentiating by Interest Engagement is a non-negotiable aspect of teaching and learning. Student Interest & Student Choice are 2 powerful motivators for engagement. If a student has a spark of curiosity about a topic, learning is more likely. If a student has choice about what or how they learn, learning is more likely. Not all students have the same interest.

“The best learning environment is like a good cafeteria. It not only affords the essential staples but also offers a large variety of choices to satisfy individual tastes. This allows children to discover their natural interests and special talents” Jensen, A., 1998

What the research says… Student interest is key to student motivation Student interest/satisfaction in earlier tasks is key to continued engagement is work that is momentarily not interesting. Students are likely to find tasks in their talent area more interesting Flow occurs when the participant is highly interested

Effective Teachers… Help students realize that there is a match between school and their own desire to learn. Demonstrate the connectedness between all learning Use skills/ideas familiar to the students as a bridge to ideas/skills less familiar to them Enhance student motivation to learn

Meet in your Expert Teams Visit the bookmarked websites/provided books Use your graphic organizers to record what you discover!

Return to your Home Team Take turns sharing what your have learned Each person is responsible for writing down 3 facts about each topic. Start making scrapbook pages based on your area of expertise! Complete the group evaluation Independent Assignment

Folders Expert Group Folders Questions? Sources? Record findings? Home Team 2 Folder Team Task Method for Sharing Expert Information Group Evaluatio