Different Theories Of Cooperative Learning Approach

Domains such as, cognitive development and development of aspects of information processing. Cognitive development is displayed when students use their problem solving and decision making skills. Development of aspects of information processing is displayed when students process the information that is given. Collaborative/cooperative learning promotes development of intelligence, personal and emotional development, development of motivation and self-regulation, and moral development. Development of intelligence is displayed when students work together and trust one another to solve a problem. Personal and emotional development is shown when students have positive and effect interactions with one another. Development of motivation and self-regulation is demonstrated when students have the ability to complete assignments without being distraction to others. Moral development is shown when students in the group work collaboratively and treat one another with

Cooperative learning will be a method I use in my classroom. I believe that in a cooperative learning group a student can learn socialization skills and how to work with others. This goes along with the pragmatic/progressive philosophy that children learn by doing. The progressivism teaching style also includes the incorporation of problem-solving and critical thinking techniques. I want my students to learn to think for themselves and be able to function in society. At the same time, I will be a fellow learner myself and

Teachers also received training in this area. The groups, then, participated in grade-level appropriate math units. Students were further encouraged to work cooperatively because individual improvement on assessments also earned team points. Data was collected by audio and video recordings. The research team hypothesized that helping behaviors would be related to achievement. Achievement gain would be used as the dependent variable and would be measured by an ANCOVA test. The team found that there was a significant relationship to students using helping behaviors in cooperative learning groups to academic achievement gain. The only behaviors that did not show significant growth were the giving and receiving of answers without explanation (Nattiv, 1994).

In contrast to this view Les Vygotsky, whose theories have also been implicated in modern educational teaching methods, explained that children can learn skills that are just beyond their ability if they are helped by someone who possesses that skill, this was known as proximal development and although it contradicts the fundamental argument behind Piagets support for cooperative learning, it provides an other theorists outlook on the benefits of cooperative learning in educational settings and thus increases support on its use. “Different learning theory approaches favour cooperative learning for different reasons” (O’Donnell, 2002)

Cooperative learning consist of five basic elements, 1) Positive Interdependence, 2) Face-to-face Interaction, 3) Individual Accountability, 4) Social Skills and 5) Group Processing. Research backs up Marzano’s cooperative learning strategy as a key component of a progressive learning tool. Positive interdependence is the idea that when students are grouped together, they will consciously be held accountable to one another and share in the responsibility of the project. Team members work together with the idea that each member plays a vital role in the achievement of their overall goal due to the obligation to the other members. Face-to-face Interaction involves students working together to teach each other the material. We have found, through various studies that one of the best ways to learn a given material is for each member of the group to teach a section to the rest of the group .Individual Accountability speaks for itself. When a student is held accountable for their portion of the project and is held accountable by their respective peers, they feel obligated to do their part of the project. The fourth part of cooperative learning is, in my opinion, the most important skill learned in this process, the Social Aspect. In the social dynamic of the group, students learn skills that will take them beyond the walls of the educational institution. Social skills will guide students in learning communication skills, decision making, cultural learning, conflict resolution,

I have been searching for many years for the Holy Grail of interactive learning, a distinction between collaborative and cooperative learning definitions. I am getting closer to my elusive goal all the time but I am still not completely satisfied with my perception of the two concepts. I believe my confusion arises when I look at processes associated with each concept and see some overlap or inter-concept usage. I will make a humble attempt to clarify this question by presenting my definitions and reviewing those of other authors who have helped clarify my thinking.

Vygotsky was a researcher and theorist in child development. He proposed a social development theory and according to him (1978: 57) “ Every function in the child’s cultural development appears twice, first on the social level and later on the individual level; first, between people ( inter psychological) and then inside the child (intra psychological)”. According to him children do not develop through maturation alone but they develop through participation and involvement with social world and language plays important role for communication. It is developed and improved through social interactions. According to his theory children learn when they interact and communicate with teachers/parents and he referred to this as collaborative dialogue. Instructions are given to the child by parent or teacher; they understand it and regulate their performance. Vygotsky work was based on one of the important principle called Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). It is defined as “The distance between the actual development level as determined by independent problem solving and the level of potential development as determined through problem solving under adult guidance, or in collaboration with more capable peers”. (Vygotsky, 1978:86). In co-operative learning exercises, the task given by the teacher which is

Using differentiated instruction helps build existing knowledge and activates prior knowledge. Once students have gained a deeper level of understanding, using cooperative learning groups is beneficial because it enhances academic achievement, student attitudes, and student retention (Hsiung, 2012). Cooperative learning also provides a natural

On cooperative learning being crucial in helping students develop respect for each other, 58.3% of the students agreed, 16.7% of the students were neutral and strongly agree respectively as 8.3% disagreed from the claim. This also indicates that cooperative learning promotes respect among the students under study in the school setup.

When people think of collaborative learning, they think of students being forced to work together in order to complete a task. These all too common groups normally consist of one student that does all the work; while the other members of the group are copying down all of the answers. Everyone loses in this scenario. The teacher loses because they cannot assess student learning. And the students lose because they are not doing the work and learning collectively. This is why many first year teachers shy away from assigning instructional activities that involve collaborative learning. Instead, first year teachers implement strategies that encourages a more traditional mode of teaching called individualistic learning. Individualistic learning happens when the teacher assigns work and each student in the class is responsible for completing their work independently. This an ineffective mode of teaching because it creates an environment of competition. Also, it does not encourage students to learn from each other. Students who are subjected to individualized learning focus more on achieving the right answer than learning. This can cause students to become disengaged, discouraged or feel inadequate if they cannot keep up with their peers. While both cooperative and individualized learning have faults, cooperative learning is more effective because it promotes accountability, motivation, and interpersonal skills

The main aim of this essay is to analyse the different aspects of incorporation of cooperative learning (CL) or group work (GW) in an academic environment, specifically within an economic classroom. Furthermore, the contextualisation and definition of cooperative learning will be evaluated in order to speculate whether cooperative learning in a tertiary education institution’s economic department is beneficial or detrimental to the working, personal and studying ability of students. Included in this evaluation will be notable examples of CL or GW conducted by university students and the effects thereof. However, due to logical reasoning in which more can be achieved if people work towards a common goal, one could deduce that CL will have a beneficial effect on the working and studying ability of students, including within in economic context.

The Piaget and Vygotsky theories have been used to explain the relation between peer interaction and cognitive development. Piaget’s theory follows a 4 stages of cognitive development and see children as active learners that construct knowledge from their environment. Vygotsky states children construct knowledge through social interaction. The zone of proximal development (ZPD) and scaffolding are important in Vygotsky. Individualism and peer collaboration each has it impacts on peer social interactions.

A cognitivism theory that aligns with my belief statement is cooperative learning. Cooperative learning is where students work in small groups on a common task or project while the teacher acts as a facilitator (Coffey, 2017). In my belief statement I stated, learners should collaborate together and build upon their prior knowledge, this is the core of cooperative learning.

As a future educator, I want my own students to have those same experiences that I have had and cooperative learning is a perfect way to motivate the development of collaborative skills.

Collaborative learning is founded on the idea that the learning process is a naturally social act which requires the participants to talk among themselves. Collaborative learning involves small groups of students who act on a structured learning activity to solve a problem, complete a task, or create a product. In simpler terms, the students work in groups to learn or understand a new concept they are studying. In this learning approach, it is important to understand that the students are accountable for individual work as well as the group work they do as a group in collaborative learning