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.
Mary,
ReplyDeleteI'm right there with you. Until this week, I never really knew what a Voicethread was. Dr. Calvin used a VT to introduce himself to the class in my last two courses, but I had no idea how to create one, or how to use it as a collaboration tool. I can definitely see how this could be a beneficial tool for the classroom. I love how it allows teachers to see which students participated in the discussion and to what extent. It can really take the guess work out of assigning participation points.
I also agree that cooperative learning does have its place in education and can create great learning experiences, but other learning methods also need to be used. Variety is key in education. It helps to keep students interests and it also helps teachers to meet the needs of a variety of learning preferences. Also, we must remember that on our state tests students are expected to work alone, so we must make sure to establish the skills needed to process and tackle problems independently.
Hi Mary,
ReplyDeleteI consider myself to be semi tech-savvy, but had also never heard of Voice Thread until this week. It is another tool that I cannot wait to use in the classroom! Technology resources, like Voice Thread, are incredibly beneficial in that they can be used for any age/grade/ability-level. Prior to using many of the tech tools I use in my classroom on a daily basis, I used to find it difficult to incorporate many of the resources and curriculum that the regular ed. teachers were using (based on the learning needs of my students). Technology makes it incredibly easy to get my students engaged in learning - regardless of the content being addressed.
I absolutely agree with you in that cooperative learning needs to be well thought out before being implemented. I myself have fallen into the trap of having students work together just because it seemed easier, allowed me to steer clear of lecturing for a period. Unfortunately when I did this (it was only a few times, I learned quick!), I did not plan out my groupings of students, nor did I delegate responsibilities in an organized fashion. It inevitably always turned into a "social hour" (and NOT social learning!), where one or two of the higher-achieving students would complete the bulk of the work. You gave great insight on how we should implement cooperative learning in the classroom. It must be meaningful, well-planned, and done in moderation.
I cannot wait to check out your Voice Thread! The Giver has always been one of my favorite books, and I think that using Voice Thread to get students engaged in discussion is a great idea. I think another cool idea would be to have your students illustrate their favorite scenes from the book and narrate them. The Giver depicts a world that is very different from our own, so it would be neat to see how students visualize it!
Rachel -- I wanted to thank you for your comments on my VoiceThread. I loved everyone's common idea of having students work in groups who are not necessarily in the same class, but are reading the same novel, creating a virtual remote workplace atmosphere. I LOVED your idea of having the kids create or write about their idea of a dystopia. A fabulous way of getting kids collaborating through the use of this technology tool! Thanks again.
ReplyDeleteHi Mary,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your thoughts on cooperative learning. It should be an essential part of our planning and instruction, but can't be implemented without deliberate planning. I also enjoyed your Voice Thread on "The Giver". I love the book! My fifth graders have been using Voice Thread throughout the year and enjoy it as a mode of presentation and as a tool for reflecting on their learning. VT is great in that it allows for the exchange of ideas (as evident from your VT) and is easy to share. Our students maintain online portfolios and the VTs are very easy to embed, so parents can easily navigate to their child's work to monitor how they are doing aside from the communications I send home. Thanks again for your thoughts.