Michael Zeilik

WHY USE COOPERATIVE LEARNING?
To produce large gains in conceptual understanding, even in large classes with limited resources.
WHAT IS A COOPERATIVE LEARNING?
A highly-structured learning environment in which small teams (typically 4) must generate a consensus response (usually in writing) to a question, problem demonstration, or activity. Anyone in the group must be able to defend this consensus.
DESCRIPTION
Cooperative learning places students in small groups (research shows 3 to 5 the most effective), who are assigned a task. The goal of the team is to reach a consensus within a limited amount of time and produce a report, usually written. Every member has the individual responsibility of being able to explain the team’s result within the group and outside of it. To promote team effectiveness, members should have well-defined social roles and rotate them. You should also form the groups so that they are heterogeneous and mix people based on, say, pretest results.