Last class 4/22,
we learned about the importance of cooperative learning in the classroom. I was
surprised to learn just how different cooperative learning is compared to group
work, and how well it worked in our class. I really enjoyed working with my
group to solve how many squares we could make with 12 slips of colorful paper.
I noticed that while Dr. Horwitz was explaining the directions to this
activity, she was also modeling how we would speak to a high school class prior
to completing this activity. She described the paper as “very special paper”,
emphasizing the importance of not ripping it and not touching another group
member’s paper. I noted that little tips of information like calling a piece of
paper “special”, can really affect how students will approach an assignment and
fully follow directions.
I
also noticed that cooperative learning is much more effective than group work
because every member of each group was assigned a role. Most importantly, the
group relied on each member in order to function. Unlike group work where one
or two students do the majority of work, in these groups everyone was required
to participate equally in order to fulfill the task at hand. Also, we were
having a blast! It hardly felt like work, which was the part that impressed me
the most. I could definitely see myself using these strategies in my future
classroom. I think the second activity when we asked each other questions would
be a great way to have students review together for an upcoming test in a fun,
relaxed working environment.
Hi Carina,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the importance of roles and how teachers have to assign the roles in the group! I can remember countless times in high school where we would do group work or a project and we would have to assign our own roles. It was a horrible mess. It may seem elementary to be assigned roles, but I think that was one of the reasons my group did so well together. We had our roles and knew what they were so that we each had our place of contribution where no one was being left out and everyone was being heard. I want to look into more ways to implement cooperative learning in the ELA classroom because I enjoyed the lesson so much!