Cooperative learning is a way of life. It's been our way to acquire knowledge all throughout our history, and it permeates every facet of our lives. Within our families, in work, and in play, we cooperate with each other to gain a greater share of the knowledge pool.

Corporations spend millions of dollars training people to work cooperatively to bring about greater results than one person, alone, can produce. Practicing cooperative learning skills early in life is a distinct advantage for students.

In the student's world, the traditional method of learning is to receive instruction and to be tested on that instruction. While some measure of instruction is essential to the profession of teaching, it doesn't necessarily teach critical thinking skills.

In cooperative learning, each student is given a voice and opportunity to share his skills. Each child brings a different skill set to the learning experience that expands ideas and results for the entire team. The results are obtained with less time and effort expended.

Working together in a scholastic setting also brings about an appreciation for diversity. Racial relations are improved in cooperative learning and personalities have an added potential of growth.

Students learn in collaborative effort that they share equal responsibility for success or failure as a group, and not as individuals. Learning teams give students the experience of verbal expression and helps builds oral skills.

As the student sees how their individual contribution and shared information fits together, they are able to conceptualize the entire project. Retention, awareness, and interest increases when teamwork is an integral part of the learning process.

There is, however, a down side to cooperative learning techniques. If the group is formed without sufficient guidance on how to conduct cooperative learning, it can be a dry experience without the mutual desired effects.

The goal is to learn with each other, but if one dominant student takes command and hands out assignments that are completed independently, the project fails to produce cooperative learning.

Personality clashes can occur and require mediation.

The use of cooperative and collaborative learning is of great value when implemented correctly. A student can recognize his own value as he works with peers to bring a project to completion.

Communication skills and interdependent effort learned in the classroom, effectively carries the student into his adult work life where those skills are valued.

Collaboration and interaction is the key to cooperative learning. When implemented and executed correctly, it produces excellent results for students.

Source:

http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/int ech/cooperativelearning.htm#el ements

Learn more about this author, Mona Gallagher.
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