Cooperative learning theory by April Salerno

1. Enacting Cooperative
LearningTheory in the EFL
Classroom
Dr. April Salerno,
Fulbright Scholar, USA

2. Introductions
• April Salerno
• Fulbright Scholar: University of
Virginia, USA / Ion Creanga State
Pedagogical University, Moldova
• Places I’ve lived:Virginia, New
Mexico, Moldova, North Carolina,
South Carolina

4. Introductions
Tell us:
• Your name
• Where you teach
• What kinds of things do you
learn better (or worse) in
groups?
• Sentence Frame examples:
• Working in a group helps me learn …
• I prefer working alone when I’m …

5. Agenda
•About Cooperative LearningTheory
•CLT activity ideas

6. Brainstorm
•Think about everyday tasks you do that
require collaboration.
•Type them into your chat box.
•Let’s make a list together.

7. CollaborativeTasks
• Type here.

8. Relationship to CognitiveTheory
Cooperative
Learning
Theory
Activity is
center of
human
learning
Peer
interaction
leads to
cognitive
development
Higher-level
mental
processes
are social
Groups
change,
dynamic
opportunity
for learning
In SLA
theory, CLT
also
facilitates
interaction!

9. Cooperative LearningTheory
Spencer Kagan

10. 3 Common Challenges to
Cooperative Learning in Practice

11. 1.Takes too much time
What can we do to make
it more efficient?

12. Making group work efficient
• Teach students how to do it
• Teach students how to move back and forth easily from
groups to listening (signals)
• Use time limits
• Help students get started quickly
• Jigsaw = students divide up work and share with each other

13. 2. Some students do all the work.
What can we do to get
students to share the work?

14. Division of Labor / Roles
Each team might have a:
• Leader
• Materials Monitor
• Reporter
• Time keeper
• Questioner
• Chief Researcher
• Critic / Evaluator

15. Ideas for sharing the work load
•Call randomly on students to respond afterwards
•All members must share their findings with others
•Students rate/grade their own contributions

16. 3. Students don’t like each other
• How can we motivate
students to work with anyone
in the class?

17. Motivating students to work with others
•Sometimes teacher chooses, sometimes students
choose groups
•Groups aren’t forever, changing quickly
•Multiple groupings for different purposes
•Building community in classroom
•Conflict mediation system
•Teaching students “I” statements

18. Benefits of Cooperative Learning
Social
skills
Ethnic
relations
Time on
task
Self-
direction
Repeated
practice

19. Sequential vs. Simultaneous Structure
Task Sequential Simultaneous
Distribute
materials
Teacher or student walks
around and hands out materials
one at a time
“Materials Monitor” gets
supplies for each team
Discuss
topic
One student at a time states
opinion
All students discuss at once in
pairs
Form
teams
Teacher reads names; students
listen
Students find their names at
tables
Share
answers
Teacher calls on students one
at a time
Students engage in choral
response (or answer in pairs)
Receive
help
Students raise hands and wait
for teacher
Students ask a partner and
receive immediate response
Ask 3,
then
me!

20. Positive Interdependence
•The success of every team
member is not possible without
success / contribution of each
•The success of a team is not
possible without success or
contribution of each member

21. Steps in Cooperative Learning Models
1.Develop clear instructional goals
2.Explain the task
3.Explain needed social skills
4.Monitor & provide feedback
5.Ask each group to summarize
6.Evaluate
7.Assess group progress

22. Some models of cooperative
learning

23. Jigsaw
• Students work first in “expert groups.” Each “expert group”
studies a different topic.
• Each member of each expert group goes to a different new
“learner group.” In the learner groups, each person shares the
info from the first groups.

24. Graffiti Activity
• Questions are posted on large sheets of paper.
• One group answers the question on each paper, for a set
period of time.
• After the time limit, groups exchange papers (or move to the
next paper)
• Rotating continues until all groups answer all questions.
• Groups return to their original question, categorize
responses, and share the categories

25. Academic Controversy
• The teacher assigns a debate topic to 4 students (2 pro; 2 con)
• Pairs develop their argument and then present to the other pair
• The 4 students discuss both sides and list pros and cons
• The pairs reverse sides and argue for the opposite opinion
• The 4 students synthesizes all ideas and create their actual joint opinion
• All groups of 4 present these actual joint opinions to the class

26. StudentTeams-Achievement Division (STAD)
• Students work in heterogenous teams (4 or 5 members)
• Their task is to study and learn factual material
• They use whatever methods they choose for learning (e.g.,
quizzing each other, reading articles, doing practice exercises,
etc.)
• Individuals are tested on their knowledge
• Possible recognition of winning teams with highest scores

27. Case study
You are a middle school English teacher.Your
students work often in groups, and you’ve seen their
English improve as a result.The teacher in the room
next to you, however, complains that your groupwork
time is too noisy. She even talked to your school
director about it.
What do you do?

28. Questions
What questions
do you have?