The group as a pedagogical mediation

The group as a pedagogical mediation

1. Cooperative Learning: Teaching strategy

   • What is it?
     • CpL is a small-group learning.
     • It is an instructional strategy in which small groups of students work together on a common task.
     • According to David Johnson and Roger Johnson (1999), there are five basic elements that allow successful small-group learning:
       • !. Positive interdependence
       • 2. Face-to-face interaction
       • 3. Individual and group accountability
       • 4. Group behaviors
       • 5. Group processing
     • CpL changes student's and teacher's roles in classroom
     • CpL helps students to increase their self-esteem, motivation, and emphaty
     • Some challenges of using CpL include releasing the control of learning, managing noise levels, resolving conflicts, and assessing student learning.
   • Why is it important?
     • CpL encourages achievement, student discussion, active learning, student confidence, and motivation
   • How can you make it happen?
     • Beginning to work in groups
       • Norms
         • 1. We always treat one another with respect.
         • 2. We always encourage new ideas and value the consideration of all suggestions.
         • 3. We always justify our opinions to the team.
         • 4. We always make decisions as a team
       • Preparation
         • Establish groups using a variety of criteria, such as social skills, academic skills, student interests, and instructional objectives.
       • Instruction
         • Should be based on solid content, with grouping used to enhance and customize student learning.
         • Students should understand the objectives, instructional task, and criteria for success.
       • Assessment
         • May include paper and pencil achievement tests and/or measures of actual student performance or group products.
         • Develop a way to assess both group and individual accountability
       • Student Roles
         • Organizer, Recorder, Checker, Questioner, Assessor, Encourager, Summarizer, Spokesperson, Timekeeper, Team facilitator, Elaborator and Research runner.
       • Challenging Group Dynamics
         • Be proactive and have ways prepared to prevent or solve problems
           • Brainstorm, Use check list, Written guidelines, Signal for the noise, and Use journals
   • How can you stretch this strategy
     • Students can reflect on their progress as a group and the challenges that they face,as well as how they are progressing academically.
   • When can you use it?
     • Reading/English, Writing, Match, Social Studies (Jigsaw), Science

2. Cooperative Learning Versus Traditional Learning for Group Activitities

   • 3 goal structures in a classroom setting
     • Competitive
     • Individualistic
     • Cooperative
   • Interdependece
   • Accountanility
   • Leadership
   • Responsibility
   • Social Skills
   • Teacher involvement
   • Group Evaluation

3. Implementing Group Work in the Classroom

   • Suggestions
     • To help implement group work successfully in your classroom.
     • Preparing for group work
       • Think carefully about how students will be physically arranged in groups
       • Insist on professional, civil conduct
       • Talk to students about their past experiences with group work
     • Designing the group activity
       • Identify the instructional objectives
       • Make the task challenging
       • Assign group task that encourage involvement, interdependence, and a fair division of labour
         • Resources across (jigsaw method)
         • Specifying common rewards for the group
       • Decide on group size
       • Decide how you will divide students into groups
         • Increase diversity
       • Allow sufficient time for group work
       • Try to predict student's answers
       • Design collaborative work in multiple forms
     • Introducing the group activity
       • Share your rationale for using group work
       • Have students from groups before you give them instructions
       • Facilitate some form of group cohesion
         • Icebreaker
       • EXplain the task clearly
       • Set ground rules for group interaction
       • Let students ask questions
     • Monitoring the group task
       • Monitor the groups but do not hover
       • Expect a lot from your students
       • Be slow to share what you know
       • Clarify your role as facilitator
     • Ending the group task
       • Provide closure to the group activities
         • Oral reports
         • Written reports
       • Model how you want students to participate
       • Connect the ideas raised to course content and objectives
       • Don't provide to much closure
       • Ask students to reflect on the group work process