Cooperative Learning: Working Together to Build Knowledge

          Cooperative learning is extremely important in the classroom.  It engages students in not only active learning, but development of social skills and collaboration as well.  As we all know, PIGS is an important aspect of cooperative learning.  We implemented these elements into our own whole-class lesson in the following ways:

 

Positive interdependence: will be facilitated by teachers announcing “each student will be responsible for helping the group work together in a positive way. If a group member is not performing their role, other group members should positively encourage this member to complete his task.

 

Individual accountability: will be facilitated through each student monitoring one another to ensure performance of the assigned roles.

Group Processing: A sheet will be given to each student containing a 1-5 rating scale (5 being the highest) on which students will rate themselves and each group member based on cooperation, contributions and performance of assigned roles.

 

Social Skills: Students have to engage in positive, efficient social interactions in order to achieve the goal of the task. Face -to -face interaction is key and students need to cooperate with each other in order to successfully collaborate.

 

          Throughout our lesson, students were assigned different roles, such as mapmaker, fact finder, writer, etc.  The roles changed with each round and students were expected to complete each task and create an end product in the form of a scrapbook.  The scrapbook would be a compilation of information on Lewis and Clark and the expansion westward.  Students genuinely enjoyed this task, but it was difficult to keep them on our planned pace.  We had to cut out a round because the students would not have been able to complete it.  It is critical to save time for presenting and reflecting after a cooperative lesson, therefore we had no choice but to shorten the task.  The lesson did not run as smoothly as we had hoped, but students certainly demonstrated their knowledge of Lewis and Clark and the expansion westward and were proud of their work.

 

          As we finish our fieldwork experience, I have to mention how amazing my group was!  I could not have asked for better people to work with.  Without them, this experience would not have been the same.  Love you girls and boy!!! = )