Cooperative Training has been around for decades, but it has never achieved the same level of popularity as blended learning or differentiated instruction. While it is debatable why cooperative learning went unnoticed for so long, it is certainly a powerful and effective teaching approach.
But what are the specifics of cooperative learning? And how does it operate in a classroom setting? More importantly, does cooperative learning function in the context of professional and technical education (CTE)? Cooperative learning is centred on group projects, but it is so much more.
The primary goal of cooperative training is to demonstrate the benefits of interdependence while emphasising the significance of personal responsibility. This occurs naturally in cooperative learning when students collaborate with one another but each has a separate task to do or concept to communicate. Keep reading this blog to learn more.
Understand Before Beginning Cooperative Training
This is where you, as the teacher, fit into the cooperative learning experience. When cooperative learning occurs, you are not directly “teaching.” Instead, you keep groups of kids on track.
You are well aware of how easy it is for kids to become distracted and begin socialising instead of working together in a social atmosphere. Keeping this in mind, it is critical that you keep an ear to the ground for the entire classroom when they are divided into groups.
Can you be everywhere at the same time? No. However, you can enlist the help of another teacher, watch for tell-tale indicators of off-topic activity (laughing, loud noises, etc.), or divide pupils into large, manageable groups to better oversee them.
You can also make a list of specific cooperative learning strategies for your pupils to use. That way, you’ll always have another method ready to go for when your kids finish one exercise and move on to the next!
Furthermore, once those tactics are in place, you can develop a disciplined approach to cooperative learning in your classroom that makes it extremely difficult for kids to goof off, lose attention, or go off-topic.
As an added plus, your pupils will be social while participating in cooperative learning. Depending on the class, this could be an advantage or disadvantage for you. Regardless, the experience of working socially can benefit students’ soft skills, which is an added benefit to cooperative learning in general.
Cooperative Training in the Classroom
It is entirely up to you how you want to implement cooperative learning in your classroom, just like any other learning approach.It is crucial to note, however, that most teachers do not begin a class period with cooperative learning.
After all, one of the most significant challenges in effective group learning is retaining concentration. If your pupils just transition from talking to their friends in the corridor to talking to their friends in the classroom, they will lack the necessary focus to learn anything.
As a result, many teachers in our community begin class periods with bell work. Working through a computer lesson, doing a fast worksheet, making goals for that class period. In addition, anything else that helps a student think about the class is acceptable.
Teachers proceed in a variety of paths after bell work, depending on what they wish to teach that day. During the first few weeks of the semester, it may make the most sense to shift into a traditional lecture that introduces students to a topic.
However, lectures are antiquated and do not always hold the attention of today’s constantly-connected age. Then you can go on to a cooperative learning exercise. Students have heard the intellectual elements of what they are learning. They can now apply what they have learned to a group exercise.
That activity could be anything from a discussion to a project to an exercise. You’re on the correct road as long as your pupils are working together toward a common objective!
Finally, have student groups report their final results to one another. This is a terrific approach to start a class conversation and expose other groups to topics they may not have considered before.
In the case that groups disagree, it’s also a great method to start an academic argument. That may appear to be a negative effect of cooperative and professional development training. But arguments in the classroom are actually excellent learning opportunities for both you and your students.
Final Thoughts
Finally, keep in mind that you are in charge of your classroom. If a dispute occurs, it ends when you say it does. Allow yourself ample time after you finish it to reflect on the day. This will assist pupils in remembering and applying all they’ve studied and accomplished. Students get to hear both sides of an argument, which is always beneficial. Understanding an alternative viewpoint helps students stay grounded in an argument. Moreover, keeps them from stereotyping or generalising others who think differently than them.
