Samples of Some Cooperative Learning Models

Corners
Teacher announces a topic and gives students a choice of four alternative. Students then form groups in the four corners of the room and share reasons for their choice with a partner in their corner. Students realize they can be accepted while making choices that are different from their classmates.
Steps:

1) Teacher announces corners
2) Students think and write
3) Students go to corners
4) Pairs discuss

Tips:

• Have students writes down the number of their choice without discussion among themselves.
• Post a title of visual in each corner of the room.
• If only one student chooses a corner, validate their choice, but ask them to choose their second favorite group.
• Give equal time to share in pairs.

Find-Someone-Who
Students receive a worksheet. The worksheet asks them to "Find someone who..." The student has to have the person who knows the answer for their question to write it along with their name on the worksheet. Students can find only one answer from each person. When students finish they become helpers by sitting down and becoming a resource for others who can ask them any question. Students who originally knew none of the the answers, after filling in one or two of the answers become a resource for others because they have become "someone who knows."
Steps:

1) Students mix and pair
2) Student questions partner
3) Partner checks
4) Reverse roles

Tips:

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  Have students raise one hand as they walk until they find a partner. This makes it easier to spot those looking for a partner.

  
  
  
  
  

  Prior to doing the activity have students turn in one little know fact or idea that they would like everyone to know to use for the form.

  
  
  
  
  

  Remind students that they can gen only one answer from a partner and then must circulate to find another partner. 

  
  
  
  

Formations
The teacher presents the class with something to form. Students then make the formation by coordinating their efforts, deciding where each student should stand or what they should do. More advanced models may include sound and movement.
Tips:

• If possible, use an open space.
• Show students a picture of the shape they are to form.
• The formation must involve all students
• Model how students may interact to make the formation.

 Guess the Fib

Each student writes down three statements. Two are true and one is false. One student at a time reads their statement to the class. Teams huddle to discuss the statements, trying to "guess the fib."
Steps:

 1) Students write three statements.

 2) One student reads statements.
 3) Teammates discuss statements.
 4) Teammates guess.

 Tips:

• Have teams reach consensus before guessing.
• Make sure students correct the fib so students remember the correct information.
• Give the role of "consensus seeker" to one student.

Inside/Outside Circle

Students form two concentric circles. Both circles have the same number of students so that each student is facing another student. Teacher announces a topic or question, and students discuss with that partner. Then both circles rotate so that students are paired with a new partner for the next question or topic.
 Steps:

 1) Students form circles.

 2) Student shares with partner.
 3) Reverse roles.
 4) Students rotate.

 Tips:

•  If the weather is nice, this is fun to do outside. 
• Vary the number of positions rotated and occasionally switch directions.

Line-Ups
The teacher announces a dimension on which students may vary. The dimension may be a characteristic or a value. Students then line up according to where they stand relative to their classmates on the characteristic or issue.
Steps:

1) Teacher describes the line.

2)Students line up.
 3) Fold the line so that the individual on the very end of the line is facing the person at the opposite end.
 4) Pairs discuss.

Tips:

•  One variation of this exercise is to give students slips of paper or index cards with one part of a process written on it and have students arrange themselves so that the overall process is in correct order.

5 Elements of Cooperative Learning

Positive Interdependence
(sink or swim together)

• Each group member's efforts are required and indispensable for group success
• Each group member has a unique contribution to make to the joint effort because of his or her resources and/or role and task responsibilities

Face-to-Face Interaction
(promote each other's success)

• Orally explaining how to solve problems
• Teaching one's knowledge to other
• Checking for understanding
• Discussing concepts being learned
• Connecting present with past learning 

Individual & Group Accountability
( no hitchhiking! no social loafing)

• Keeping the size of the group small. The smaller the size of the group, the greater the individual accountability may be.
• Giving an individual test to each student.
• Randomly examining students orally by calling on one student to present his or her group's work to the teacher (in the presence of the group) or to the entire class.
• Observing each group and recording the frequency with which each member-contributes to the group's work.
• Assigning one student in each group the role of checker. The checker asks other group members to explain the reasoning and rationale underlying group answers.
• Having students teach what they learned to someone else.

Interpersonal & Small-Group Skills
Social skills must be taught:

• Leadership
• Decision-making
• Trust-building
• Communication
• Conflict-management skills  

Group Processing

• Group members discuss how well they are achieving their goals and maintaining effective working relationships
• Describe what member actions are helpful and not helpful
• Make decisions about what behaviors to continue or change

Class Activities that use Cooperative Learning

Most of these were developed by:
Kagan, Miguel, Laurie Robertson, and Spencer Kagan; Cooperative Learning Structures for Classbuilding, 1995; Kagan Cooperative Learning; San Clemente, CA

Jigsaw

 Groups with five students are set up. Each group member is assigned some unique material to learn and then to teach to his group members. To help in the learning students across the class working on the same sub-section get together to decide what is important and how to teach it. After practice in these "expert" groups the original groups reform and students teach each other.  Tests or assessment follows.

Think-Pair-Share

 Involves a three step cooperative structure. During the first step individuals think silently about a question posed by the instructor. Individuals pair up during the second step and exchange thoughts. In the third step, the pairs share their responses with other pairs, other teams, or the entire group.

Three-Step Interview

Each member of a team chooses another member to be a partner. During the first step individuals interview their partners by asking clarifying questions. During the second step partners reverse the roles. For the final step, members share their partner's response with the team.

RoundRobin Brainstorming

Class is divided into small groups (4 to 6) with one person appointed as the recorder. A question is posed with many answers and students are given time to think about answers. After the "think time," members of the team share responses with one another round robin style. The recorder writes down the answers of the group members. The person next to the recorder starts and each person in the group in order gives an answer until time is called.

Three-minute review

Teachers stop any time during a lecture or discussion and give teams three minutes to review what has been said, ask clarifying questions or answer questions.

Numbered Heads Together

A team of four is established. Each member is given numbers of 1, 2, 3, 4. Questions are asked of the group. Groups work together to answer the question so that all can verbally answer the question. Teacher calls out a number (two) and each two is asked to give the answer.

Team Pair Solo

Students do problems first as a team, then with a partner, and finally on their own. It is designed to motivate students to tackle and succeed at problems which initially are beyond their ability. It is based on a simple notion of mediated learning. Students can do more things with help (mediation) than they can do alone. By allowing them to work on problems they could not do alone, first as a team and then with a partner, they progress to a point they can do alone that which at first they could do only with help.

Circle the Sage

First the teacher polls the class to see which students have a special knowledge to share. For example the teacher may ask who in the class was able to solve a difficult math homework question, who had visited Mexico, who knows the chemical reactions involved in how salting the streets help dissipate snow. Those students (the sages) stand and spread out in the room. The teacher then has the rest of the classmates each surround a sage, with no two members of the same team going to the same sage. The sage explains what they know while the classmates listen, ask questions, and take notes. All students then return to their teams. Each in turn, explains what they learned. Because each one has gone to a different sage, they compare notes. If there is disagreement, they stand up as a team. Finally, the disagreements are aired and resolved.

Partners

The class is divided into teams of four. Partners move to one side of the room. Half of each team is given an assignment to master to be able to teach the other half. Partners work to learn and can consult with other partners working on the same material. Teams go back together with each set of partners teaching the other set. Partners quiz and tutor teammates. Team reviews how well they learned and taught and how they might improve the process.

Function Groups

Example of group roles as propsed by Brady, L. (2006)

Group leader- facilites group discussions
Monitor/Time keeper-ensures everyone participates
Recorder-keeps a written record
Reporter-presents the group's findings
Explainer-paraphrases individual contributions
Clarifier-checks for individual understanding
Praiser-gives positive feedback to group
Challenger-calls on group to give justification of their opinions
Gopher- assembles all resourses
Observer-watches group members performance and gives feedback
Evaluator- checks that the group task has been completed

Benefits of Cooperative Classrooms

These benefits are taken from the research of Johnson and Johnson 1999 Methods of Cooperative Learning: What can we prove works?

• Students who learn in the cooperative model perform better academically than students who learn in the individual or competitive model especially in problem solving, predicting, and concept attainment.
• Short term and long term memory is increased for all ability level students.
• Cooperative learning groups promote self-esteem and school enjoyment.
• Cooperative learning leads to positive social interaction among students.
• Cooperative learning leads to stronger scholastic aspirations, pro-social behavior, and positive peer relationships.
• Cooperative learning is the most flexible and powerful classroom strategy.
• Cooperative learning works with all age and ability levels.
• Cooperative learning teaches how to work in teams, how to give and receive criticism, how to plan, how to monitor, and how to evaluate.

Further evidence from Brady, L. (2006) on the benefit of Cooperative learning groups.

• Positive interdependence
• Face-to-face interaction
• Individual accountability
• Development of social skills
• Group evaluation
• Cognitive development
• Personal skills
• Equity

Direct Instruction

When teaching the whole class it is important to be clear and concise not the bore them with dialog or take up too much of their engaged time.  The instruction time should be both before and after the group activities and be used to:

• Directing/sharing teaching objectives
• Instructing/giving information
• Demonstrating/modelling
• Explaining and Illustrating/giving further examples and step by step solutions
• Questioning and Discussing/listening carefully to students and eliciting higher order responses
• Consolidating/get students reflecting on their ideas
• Evaluating students' responses/students justify their methods and clarify their ideas/ teacher feedback
• Summarizing/reviewing all that was learned and clarify misunderstandings 

Multiple Intelligences

Gardner (1983) also the writer of my favorite social-educational theory of second language motivation came up with an theory that addresss the overall intelligences of the individual.  These are the EQ ideas that have been floating around in consumer educational circles for years.  As a teacher, I believe it is the responsibility to find what area the student excels at and build that area so they excel something.  We all don't have to be linguists or mathematicians, yet if we can excel in an area that we are naturally gifted we can reach our full potential and the world could possibly be a better place.

• Visual/Spatial intelligence
• Logical/Mathematical intelligence
• Bodily/Kinaesthetic intelligence
• Musical/rhythmic intelligence
• Interpersonal intelligence
• Intrapersonal intelligence