Stacey Magnesio and Barbara Davis
Copied with permission from Childhood Education, Summer 2010.
Stacey Magnesio and
Barbara H. Davis
Stacey Magnesio is a 4th-grade teacher, Hays CISD, Kyle, Texas.
Barbara H. Davis is Professor,
Curriculum & Instruction, Texas
State University, San Marcos.
To cite this article: Magnesio, S. & B. Davis. A Teacher Fosters Social Competence With Cooperative Learning. San Clemente, CA: Kagan Publishing. Kagan Online Magazine, Fall/Winter 2010. www.KaganOnline.com
Miss Mag, do we have to work in groups?” “Miss Mag, I can’t work with him.” “Miss Mag, can I work alone?” Dodgeball tactics—duck, dart, and flee—seemed to be the game plan in my classroom whenever I wanted my students to work in groups.
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As Kauchak and Eggen (2007) explain:
Piaget views this social interaction as a catalyst for students to reevaluate their own beliefs about the world; Vygotsky sees social interaction as a vehicle for more knowledgeable people to share their expertise with others. In both instances, students learn by listening and talking. (pp. 305-306)
In his theory of motivation, Maslow (1954) described a hierarchy of needs that moves from lower needs (e.g., hunger, safety) to higher needs (e.g., esteem, belonging). He argued that people strive to meet their lower needs before attempting to meet the higher needs. In Kagan Cooperative Learning, Kagan and Kagan (2009) explain the relationship between Maslow’s motivation theory and the effectiveness of cooperative learning:
If students do not feel safe and included, their energy is directed to meeting those deficiency needs and is not free to meet the need to know and understand. . . . When we put cooperative learning in place the need for safety is satisfied through social norms (no put downs; disagreeing politely). The need for inclusion is satisfied through teambuilding and classbuilding. . . . With the needs of safety and security satisfied, the students have more free energy to move up the hierarchy, striving for esteem and knowledge. (p. 4.13)
Moreover, in many classrooms, the majority of interactions are teacher-student, which can create a competitive environment as students vie for the teacher’s approval.
The article goes into great detail over the fact that co-teaching, when implemented correctly, has the potential of really enhancing the learning of all students (Conderman & Hedin, 2014, p.359). Before any co-teaching can happen though the article elaborates on the fact that a teacher needs to know who their students are. And when differentiating instruction a teacher needs to be able to address a “students’ unique strengths, interest, skills, and readiness” (Conderman & Hedin, 2014, p. 353). After all helping each child learn, whatever that looks like, is the ultimate goal, and this article shows how teachers can do this with a co-teacher.
The quote signifies the importance of social interaction between one another in developing our learning. Vygotsky recognises that culture can influence cognitive development by determining what and how a child will learn about its world (Woolfolk 2013). Vygotsky’s theory has been influential within the classroom setting. His belief that learning pulls development to a higher level reflects the importance of other people in cognitive development. (Doherty & Hughes, 2014)
Vygotsky may have overplayed importance on social influences because he suggests that child’s cognitive development occurs through social interactions, for example children do internalisation of problem solving via mutual interactions. However, if social learning is the essence of cognitive development then learning would be a lot faster than it is. Thus Vygotsky ignores the biological aspects that aid or restricts the cognitive development such as the development of brain and maturation. Therefore Piaget’s theory of cognitive development is different to
Vygotsky, a contemporary of Piaget, argued that social interaction is crucial for cognitive development. According to Vygotsky the child's learning always occurs in a social context in cooperation with someone more skillful (MKO). This social interaction provides language opportunities and language is the foundation of
Co-teaching is a model used in many schools today. The class consists of special education students in the general education setting. It emphasizes collaboration and communication among leaders. According to studies, special education students benefit from a collaborative approach using the co- teaching model rather than a traditional classroom where they are separated from their peers. There are six co-teaching models that teachers can choose from. The teachers use the best model that works best for both teachers. These students are mainstreamed in an instructional environment in a general education classroom with two teachers instead of one. Students are performing better on standardized tests since being in an inclusive classroom and are receiving more one to one attention by the teachers. Several studies that were researched involved teachers in the co-teaching classroom from grades K-12. It shows teachers are not getting enough support and training to teach collaboratively in an inclusive setting. Research shows that the results received from the surveys submitted by the schools show that there are benefits and challenges that teachers and students experience in a co-taught class. Students confirmed that the co-teaching model is beneficial because it enhances their academic and behavioral performances in the classroom.
adopt classroom cooperative learning strategies (Jenkins, Antil, Wayne & Vadasy, 2003, p. 280; Foreman & Arthur Kelly,)
Foote, C., & Vermette, P. (2001) Constructivist Philosophy and Cooperative Learning Practice: Toward Integration and Reconciliation in Secondary Classrooms. American Secondary Education, 30, 26-37
While both theorists Bruner and Vygotsky followed Piaget’s cognitive footsteps, both of them somehow managed to have similar point of views in how the learner need to interact in order to learn better.
In Vygotsky’s sociocultural development theory, social interaction plays an important role in the process of cognitive development, which is different then Piaget’s understanding of child development. Vygotsky believed children are active knowledge
The type of classroom environment that a teacher creates and encourages affects a student's ability to learn and feel comfortable as a member of the class. Such an atmosphere is one in which all students feel enthusiastic, comfortable, included, valued, and respected. Implementing a few strategies can help teachers to develop a strong sense of community in their students and encourage positive interaction. For this, they need to broadly focus on two areas:
Vygotsky believed that social interaction is the catalyst for student learning. Students learn from each other and the adults in their lives. The first learning that takes place is person to person and individually when the person internalizes the information in an attempt to understand something more completely. The first type of social interaction involves social speech in which adults give instructions. Another type of speech is private speech in which children process information and try to apply what they have heard through their experiences with similar situations in an effort to demonstrate self-control. Finally, internal speech is the silent conversation one has within one’s self. This speech leads to higher order thinking.
Although Piaget encouraged learning based on the individual child’s development, Dr. Lev Vygotsky considered developmental learning as a social process. According to Vygotsky, social interaction was imperative for cognitive development. In a “social – constructive” educational setting, the student, instructor, and peers “participate in a wide range of challenging activities, teachers and children should be partners in learning, using many types of symbolic communication in meaningful activities, and teaching adapted to each child’s zone of proximal development” (Berk,
Teachers should understand that collaboration is more than simply working together it is not at all a synonym for inclusion. The practical definition of collaboration is that it is “a style for direct interaction between at least two co-equal professionals voluntarily engaged in shared decision making as they work toward a common goal” (Friend & Cook, 2007, p. 7). But teachers must understand that this cannot be achieved if the two professionals cannot jointly deliver instruction without an understanding and ability to work collaboratively with others. Whether this is a success or failure of co-teaching rests with the way logistics are handled (Conderman, Pedersen, & Bresnahan, 2009, p.
Maslow’s theory of motivation is called the “hierarchy of needs”. Maslow believes that people have five main needs in the following order of importance;
Despite its limitations, Maslow’s model leads us to recognize that human behavior is motivated by higher pursuits as well as satisfaction of basic needs.