Cooperative, Collaborative, and Group Learning

a presentation by Nate Cartagena

Whats it Mean?
Terms used interchangeably in academic literature Cooperative learning Collaborative learning Group learning
The critical aspect is that the learning takes place in groups.

Why Use This Technique?

Benefits compared to traditional learning classes Higher-level reasoning Greater empathy for fellow students Enhanced ability to understand how a situation appears to another person Better self-esteem
Remember, it takes effective and well-structured group work to get these results.

Two Broad Techniques

Breakout Groups Used with whole-class discussion, lecture, and reading activities Attention-getter Cooperative Learning Groups May be used for an entire class period Strengthens the lesson More structured

The key is knowing when & how to employ these techniques.

DIY: Breakout Groups

Announce task Assign or allow students to make groups (of two, three, or four) Appropriate tasks should be able to be completed in 15 minutes
Groups form and disassemble quickly, so the task should create sense of urgency.

DIY (part 1): Cooperative Learning

This will and should take much more planning than Breakout Groups

Teacher supervision Heterogeneous groups Positive interdependence Face-to-face interaction

DIY (part 2): Cooperative Learning

Individual accountability Social Skills Group processing Evaluation
But if done effectively, this should allow for many of those positive results we mentioned before.

Selected Examples
Breakout Groups: Pairs create sequences Pairs compare Pairs paraphrase Pairs interview
Collaborative Learning Groups: Think, Pair, Share Jigsaw Numbered Heads Together Co-op

Now that you understand these strategies, the key is knowing when to use them.

Conclusion
Collaborative lessons have some advantages over direct instruction in certain cases Much planning must go into these types of lessons

If you wish to reap the rewards, then you must put in the work.

Questions?

Do you want to know a proper citation of the source of my knowledge? Duplass, James A. Middle And High School Teaching: Methods, Standards, and Best Practices. 1 ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005. Print.