The Basic Differences between the Tradition Term of Group Work and the Ideas behind Cooperative Learning Groups - Essay Example

Question: Describe the Basic Differences between the Tradition Term of “Group Work” and the Ideas behind Cooperative Learning Groups. Learning amongstudents can be enhanced using different strategies other than the normal whole-class lessons or individual assignments. A strategy employed by teachers for maximum learning is grouping students into small numbers and assigning academic tasks for each group to accomplish independent of other groups. This has been a traditional practice in many schools and for centuries. There are however more productive strategies of group work employed to achieve both curricula (academic) and extra-curricula (such as psycho-social development of students) objectives. One of such strategies is the cooperative learning strategy. Apart from the use of a part (small groups) of a whole, cooperative learning strategies differ fundamentally from traditional group work in a number of ways. Group work does not guarantee the full participation and mutual engagement of students in a group and, by extension, the whole class. The abilities and interests of students in a class are naturally not the same. Some may be very fast in picking while others are slow. Some may be weak in particular aspect of a subject and good in others. A relatively intelligent student in group may find it easy to accomplish group task and as such find the work interesting. A weaker student may not be that lucky and may have to coast along with his group members. There is no good reward that motivates the weak to double up. The group may be awarded points regardless of individual participation and growth. The group may earn recognition even if the weaker students perform woefully or if the gifted only carry along the weaker. The growth of individual students is therefore not recognized as a contributor to group success. Conversely, cooperative learning strategies ensure active participation of all students using a reward structure that makes individual members to invest in each other’s learning. The reward structure is motivational. A group in cooperative learning strategy may earn points when there is comparative improvement of each member of the group. Each member does not only strive to learn competitively for the success of the group but must also ensure that the weaker members improve comparatively. The success of the group is tied to the success of each member of the group. Each member is made to be accountable for other’s success. In essence, the reward structure encourages cooperation as well as individual determination. It promotes the spirit of “all for one and one for all”. Apart from allowing multi-level learning that gives equal opportunity to student with different abilities and talents, cooperative learning strategy enhances maximum sharing of knowledge and exchange of skills. The intelligence of individuals in a group is tapped by all as each member strives to achieve the shared goal of the group. However, in traditional group work, the tendency that not all members in a traditional group work participate fully reduces the possibility of optimum sharing of knowledge and exchange of skills. Individual’s talents are not fully explored and creativity is not encouraged. The traditional group work does not allow students to optimally interact. Rather there is even a tendency that the relatively socially inborn members of the groups are outsmarted and depressed. This is healthy for academic learning. Question: Write a brief description of a lesson that uses the Think-Pair-Share (TPS) strategy and another that uses 3x3x3e strategy. Explain why a particular learning structure is most appropriate for that lesson. Using TPS in Language Teaching: Teaching languages generally requires students to improve their vocabulary. This can be done if students are engaged to comprehend and practice the use of new vocabularies. An English language teacher decided to use the TPS strategy to do just that. The new words he intends to teach are already highlighted in a passage of a book. The teacher reads the passage in class stressing out the new vocabulary for students to take note of. Each student is expected to read it over and over to master the words. To further promote the practical use of the new words, the teacher decided to use the TPS strategy. The teacher worked out his strategy and took time to explain it to the student. He used the first ten minutes of his lesson period for this purpose. All the students in the class were then paired with those sitting next to them. The teacher then used the next fifteen minutes to tell a story that contains all the new words highlighted in the passage read during the previous lesson. After reading the first three paragraphs, the teacher paused to and signaled the class by knocking his head with is forefinger. The student grasped the message and immediately engaged their mental faculties. Each student was expected to identify one new word different from that partner and think of how to construct sentences with it. As the teacher clapped his hands, the students immediately turned to their partners and shared what they had identified individually. Sharing here means each student using the new word differently in its various tenses. After this stage, two pairs were picked randomly by the teacher to report what they collectively learnt. Other groups are then allowed to comment on the work of the pair reported. After such an interactive session, the teacher continues with his story telling, paused after another three paragraphs and repeated the remaining stages till the end of the passage. Using 3x3x3 Strategy for a History Class: History is normally taught using long notes and referrals to books, encyclopedia and other relevant resources. Students are expected to read, analyze and draw conclusion from such resources. A high school teacher with a good knowledge of this students and nature of the particular topic she is treating in class planned something differently. To help the student understand the topic she had earlier discussed in class better and improve the analytic skills, she designed a 3x3x3 structure of learning. First she reviewed her last lesson and brought out the topic issues discussed. This took her ten minutes. The whole class was then grouped into trios in carefully selected manner. Each group was tasked to indentify three ways civil wars affect nation-building. Each group is expected to brainstorm, harmonize individually identified impacts and jot them down. The time allocated for this task is three minutes. After explain the design of the learning structure the teacher played a thirty-minute documentary on American civil war. The engaged the students in manner explained above. She collected the points jotted by each group and proceeded with the lesson. After the lesson, she returned to the jotted points and raised questions for general discussion in the class. By so doing other groups contributed to the wider discussion by criticizing and challenged some identified points. The teacher intervenes when necessary to correct misrepresented points or to support a superior argument. The choice of TPS strategy in language teaching is more appropriate because it allows for more face-to-face contact needed for improvement of communication skills. As each student interacts with his/her partner, and with other groups, s/he perfects his communication skills. Unlike language teaching, which requires comprehension and practice of new words, the students in the history class have to use their analytical skills. They are to use deductive reasoning rather than inductive reasoning. They students are expected to draw conclusion from historical events in order to understanding contemporary issues. In the case described above, the 3x3x3 strategy used audio-visual aid to task the students in their groups to identify particular number of impacts. A sort of target is put which compels individuals to use their intellectual faculties. The size of the groups in 3x3x3 and the time allocated for brainstorming in this strategy allow for more intellectually engaging task than does the TPS strategy. Besides, by engaging students in mini-discussion, first, and a wider discussion, later, the power of argument and explanatory skills of student is improved. Thus their intellectual capacity is enhanced. Question: Examine how cooperative learning structures develop students’ social skills and how social interaction impacts on learning. Cooperative learning structures are essentially designed to achieve two mutually reinforcing goals: academic excellence and development of social skills. Members of groups taught using cooperative learning strategies do not only develop mastery of knowledge contained in school curricula. The task and reward structures in cooperative learning enhance not only interdependence in academic learning but also interpersonal social skills. Achieving shared goals of a group requires collective efforts. Since all have to work to earn recognition or points, each member must have to go the extra mile to interact with other members of the group. As individuals are assigned roles they develop a sense of responsibility and interdependence that forces them to unleash their potentials. Those that are shy and diffident, for instance, would have to break away from these personal traits in order to achieve the shared goal of the group and to improve academically. By grouping them with those that are more socially lively, they can also learn how to freely express their minds, explain their thoughts, and mediate for each other’s learning. The more freely students interact the greater their chances of learning. Also, the psychological health of students is improved when they mingle with group member. Stress and depression that limit self-actualization is reduced or eliminated thereby stimulating creativity and academic prowess. Thus learning is enhanced by improving social cohesion. Read More