Topic 6-Cooperative Learning

8/2/2019 Topic 6-Cooperative Learning

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Topic 6Cooperative Learning


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Exercise4-person project teams

Students self-select teams

One assignment handed in per team, allmembers get same grade

What problems are likely to occur?


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The best answer to the question,What is the most effective

method of teaching? is that itdepends on the goal, the student,the content, and the teacher. Butthe next best answer is, Studentsteaching other students.

(Wilbert McKeachie)


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Overview

What is cooperative learning? Formal CL activities

Benefits Implementation tips


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Cooperative LearningStudents work ingroups on structured

learning tasks under

conditions that meetfive criteria:


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CL Criteria

Positiveinterdependence

Individualaccountability

Face-to-faceinteraction

Appropriate use ofinterpersonal skills

Regular self-assessmentof group functioning


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Overview

What is cooperative learning?

Formal CL activities

Benefits

Implementation tips


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Team Homework

Assignments done by teams

Only names of participants on final product

One grade per team, adjusted for individualperformance

For problem sets, solutions outlinedindividually, completed by team.

Option: Individual outlines and group solutionturned in


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Team Projects

Project (design, class presentation) doneby teams

Specialized training provided forindividuals (Jigsaw)

One grade per team, adjusted forindividual performance


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JIGSAW(For projects with clearlyidentifiable subtasks)

Form home teams.

Form expert groups, provide specializedtraining

Regroup in home teams, completeassignment


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Peer Feedback

Individuals or project teams help eachother

brainstorming ideas critiquing first drafts

proofreading final product

Collect and grade critiques to helpstudents improve critical thinking skills


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Structured Controversy

Topic with well-documented positions andcomplexity (ethical, safety,

environmental issues) Structured debate in pairs

or groups of 4


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Overview



Benefits

Implementation tips


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Exercise

Thousands of research studies haveshown that CL, properly implemented,offers a number of benefits to students &instructors.

Speculate on what the benefits are.


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CL Benefits

student-faculty and student-student

interaction information retention and grades

higher-level thinking skills

attitudes toward subject, motivation tolearn it

Improved


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teamwork, interpersonal skills communication skills

understanding of professional environment

self-esteem, level of anxiety (less emphasis

on competition) race, gender relations (maybe)


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PLUS, far fewer (and

better) papers to grade


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STEM Meta-Analysis

Analysis of published studies of college-levelsmall-group learning in science, technology,engineering, & mathematics

Criteria: Students working in groups, rigorousanalysis of achievement, retention, andattitudes. Found 39 studies that qualified.

Metric--standardized mean difference (dindex)


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Achievement: Small groups produced greaterachievement (d=0.51)--sufficient to move astudent from 50th to 70th percentile on astandardized test

50 70


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Retention: Small groups resulted in greaterretention (d=0.46)--sufficient to reduce attritionfrom STEM programs and courses by 22%

Attitudes: Small groups led to more favorableattitudes (d=0.55)--far exceeding average effectof educational interventions on affectiveoutcomes measures


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Why It Works

Active/interactive learning.

Individuals get stuck, give up. Groups keepgoing.

Students see & learn alternative strategies.

More and better questions in class.

Cognitive rehearsal: Students, like

professors, learn best what they teach.


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Overview



Benefits

Implementation tips


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Forming CL Teams

3-4 person teams for most applications

Form formal CL teams yourself. Criteria:

Mixed ability levels (measure by grades inprerequisite courses, grade-point average, or

grades on early quiz) Common blocks of time to meet outside class

Early in the curriculum, dont let at risk

underrepresented populations (e.g. women inengineering) be outnumbered in groups.

(Optional) Common interests


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To get ability heterogeneity within each team: Option 1: Form groups using grades in

pre-requisite courses or on collegeentrance examinations. (First-day survey)

Option 2: Form practice groups randomly.After first test (2-3 weeks), re-form groupsusing test results.


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First-day survey. Ask students for

- Gender (optional)- Ethnicity (optional)

- Grades in selected courses

- Times not available during week for groupwork

Form groups following given guidelines basedon survey responses.


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(Option for homework teams) Re-form teams

once during the course except for semester-long projects. (Reason: Give members ofseriously dysfunctional teams a secondchance.) A team can stay together only if

they allwant to.

(Option for project teams) Announce projecttopics, use lottery system to let students signup for preferred topics.

Note: Self-selected teams are better than noteams at all.


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Exercise

In pairs, complete the chart on E-7.For each method on the left, mark thecriteria addressed with as many Xs as

apply.

More information about the methods isgiven on pp. E-8 and E-9.


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Promote positive interdependence

Assign different roles (coordinator, checker,recorder, monitor,...) and rotate roles.

Use Jigsaw

Give bonus on test (3-5 points) to groups inwhich the team average is (say) 80 or higher.


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Require individual accountability

Use primarily individual testing.

Call randomly on team members topresent or explain results

Collect peer ratings of team citizenship,factor into project grades.

Provide last resort options of firing and

quitting.


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Promoting teamwork

skill development Have teams establish expectations of one

another in writing soon after they form.

Remind them later of what they agreed to doand not do.

Address other defining elements of cooperativelearning (positive interdependence, individualaccountability, self-assessment) in CLexercises


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Hold brief (10 min) crisis clinicsin class to equip

students with strategies to deal with common

problems Raise the problem (hitchhiker, dominant team

member,...)

Small groups brainstorm possible team

responses. Instructor lists responses on board,adds others if desired.

Groups select (a) best first response, (b) bestsecond response if first response fails, (c) best lastresort response. Instructor collects, lists.

Teams leave class armed with goodstrategies; problem students are on notice thattheir behavior will have consequences.


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Crisis Clinic

What might the other team members do?(Brainstorm!)

List the best(a) first step, (b) step to take if

the first step fails, (c) last-resort option

A team member has chronically shown up forwork sessions late, unprepared, or not at all.


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Student resistance

Normal when students are givenunfamiliar things to do, asked to takemore responsibility for their learning

Minimize by helping them understandwhy youre doing it (real world, research

base)

Do midterm evaluation

Dont worry too much if a few students

remain opposed or one or two groupsdont work well


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Celebrate Success


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Documents

Topic 6-Cooperative Learning