1. Use a variety of criteria to group students.
2. Use informal, formal, and base groups.
3. Keep the groups to a manageable size.
4. Combine cooperative learning with other classroom structures (Pitler, Hubbell, Kuhn, & Malenoski, 2007).
As I mentioned in my discussion post this week, cooperative learning was something I was trained in when I first started teaching in the 80's. I started out with doing all the steps: grouping in various ways, assigning (or letting the students assign) roles in the group, helping the students evaluate themselves and each other. I believe there are many benefits to cooperative learning as well as some potential drawbacks. Working with 9th and 10th grade students, I found most of them capable of working successfully in a group; in fact, this age can be especially fun, because they are, for the most part, mature enough to participate effectively, but still hold enthusiasm for such activities on which I can capitalize. Of the recommendations mentioned above, the fourth one is especially important. Cooperative learning needs to be done in combination with other structures and activities. Too much of this design, and the students start to get complacent and bored with groups. I think it needs to be done in moderation, and needs to be well-planned. "Get yourselves into groups and work" is not enough. When used purposefully and planned thoughtfully, cooperative learning does indeed "build trust, camaraderie, and teamwork" (Pitler et al., 2007).
The implications for cooperative learning and the infusement of technology are widespread and exciting. As our text says, "It can help us realize the hope of schools as places that serve students anytime, anywhere, and facilitate their growth into lifelong learners" (Pitler et al., 2007). I am anxious to take what I have learned in the past weeks and start adding technology tools such as the Voicethread we have been working on. Other tools I am interested in trying include the use of some sort of Keypals. In my English 9 and 10 courses, written communication is key, and I can think of many ways we could use this telecommunication network to facilitate discussion, including current topics, literature, etc.
Below is a link to my Voicethread. I must confess I had never even heard of one before. It took some time for me to first become familiar with this tool, and then, secondly, to find an idea from which to create one. My ninth grade class reads the novel The Giver every year. I made this Voicethread as a starting point for a class discussion on Sameness, a concept from the the novel's Utopian society. I would love to hear anyone's suggestions for making is better and clearer for my students. I would love to enhance it as well.
Also, the photo on my Voicethread is of the front cover of the novel. I could not find a way to edit my second page in order to give credit for the photo, which I found on Google images. I will change this as soon as I figure it out! I am looking forward to seeing my colleagues' Voicethreads and receiving great suggestions about my own!
http://voicethread.com/share/3148297/
Resource:
Pitler, H., Hubbell, Kuhn, Malenoski. (2007). Using technology
with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, Va: Association for Supervision and Curriculum
Development.