Student Teams-

Achievement Divisions
(STAD)
A cooperative learning
method for mixed-
ability groupings
involving team
recognition and group
responsibility for
individual learning.
Student Teams-Achievement Divisions (STAD) In Student
Teams-Achievement Divisions (STAD) (Slavin !""#a)
students are assigned to four-member learning teams that are
mixed in performance level gender and ethnicity. The teacher
presents a lesson and then students $or% $ithin their teams to
ma%e sure that all team members have mastered the lesson.
&inally all students ta%e individual 'ui((es on the material at
$hich time they may not help one another.
Students) 'ui( scores are compared to their o$n past
averages and points are a$arded on the basis of the degree to
$hich students meet or exceed their o$n earlier performance.
These points are then summed to form team scores and teams
that meet certain criteria may earn certificates or other
re$ards. In a related method called Teams-*ames-
Tournaments (T*T) students play games $ith members of
other teams to add points to their team scores.
STAD and T*T have been used in a $ide variety of
sub+ects from mathematics to language arts to social studies
and have been used from second grade through college. The
STAD method is most appropriate for teaching $ell-defined
ob+ectives $ith single right ans$ers such as mathematical
computations and applications language usage and
mechanics geography and map s%ills and science facts and
concepts. ,o$ever it can easily be adapted for use $ith less
$ell-defined ob+ectives by incorporating more open-ended
assessments such as essays or performances.
Cooperative Integrated
Reading and
Composition (CIRC)
A comprehensive
program for teaching
reading and $riting in
the upper elementary
grades- students $or% in
four-member
cooperative learning
teams.
Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition (CIRC)
.ooperative Integrated /eading and .omposition (.I/.)
(Stevens 0 Slavin !""1a) is a comprehensive program for
teaching reading and $riting in the upper elementary grades.
Students $or% in four-member cooperative learning teams.
They engage in a series of activities $ith one another
including reading to one another ma%ing predictions about
ho$ narrative stories $ill come out summari(ing stories to
one another $riting responses to stories and practicing
spelling decoding and vocabulary. They also $or% together
to master main ideas and other comprehension s%ills. During
language arts periods students engage in $riting drafts
revising and editing one another)s $or% and preparing for
publication of team boo%s. Three studies of the .I/. program
have found positive effects on students) reading s%ills
including improved scores on standardi(ed reading and
language tests (Stevens et al. !"23- Stevens 0 Slavin !""!
!""1a).
Jigsaw
A cooperative learning
model in $hich students
are assigned to six-
member teams to $or%
on academic material
that has been bro%en
do$n into sections for
each member.
Jigsaw In 4igsa$ (Aronson 5laney Stephen Si%es 0
Snapp !"32) students are assigned to six member teams to
$or% on academic material that has been bro%en do$n into
sections. &or example a biography might be divided into
early life first accomplishments ma+or setbac%s later life
and impact on history. 6ach team member reads his or her
section. 7ext members of different teams $ho have studied
the same sections meet in expert groups to discuss their
sections. Then the students return to their teams and ta%e turns
teaching their teammates about their sections. Since the only
$ay students can learn sections other than their o$n is to
listen carefully to their teammates they are motivated to
support and sho$ interest in one another)s $or%. In a
modification of this approach called 4igsa$ II (Slavin !""#a)
students $or% in four- or five-member teams as in STAD.
Instead of each student being assigned a uni'ue section all
students read a common text such as a boo% chapter a short
story or a biography. ,o$ever each student receives a topic
on $hich to become an expert. Students $ith the same topics
meet in expert groups to discuss them after $hich they return
to their teams to teach $hat they have learned to their
teammates. The students ta%e individual 'ui((es $hich result
in team scores as in STAD.
Learning Together
A cooperative learning
model in $hich students
in four- or five-member
heterogeneous groups
$or% together on
assignments
Learning Together 8earning Together a model of
cooperative learning developed by David 4ohnson and /oger
4ohnson (!""") involves students $or%ing in four- or five-
member heterogeneous groups on assignments. The groups
hand in a single completed assignment and receive praise and
re$ards based on the group product. This method emphasi(es
team-building activities before students begin $or%ing
together and regular discussions $ithin groups about ho$ $ell
they are $or%ing together.
Group Investigation
A cooperative learning
model in $hich students
$or% in small groups
using cooperative
in'uiry group
discussion and
cooperative planning
and pro+ects and then
ma%e presentations to
the $hole class on their
findings.
Group Investigation *roup Investigation (Sharan 0 Sharan
!""9) is a general classroom organi(ation plan in $hich
students $or% in small groups using cooperative in'uiry
group discussion and cooperative planning and pro+ects. In
this method students form their o$n t$o- to six-member
groups. After choosing subtopics from a unit that the entire
class is studying the groups brea% their subtopics into
individual tas%s and carry out the activities that are necessary
to prepare group reports. 6ach group then ma%es a
presentation or display to communicate its findings to the
entire class.
Cooperative Scripting
A study method in
$hich students $or% in
pairs and ta%e turns
orally summari(ing
sections of material to
be learned.
Cooperative Scripting :any students find it helpful to get
together $ith classmates to discuss material they have read or
heard in class. A formali(ation of this age-old practice has
been researched by Dansereau (!"21) and his colleagues. In it
students $or% in pairs and ta%e turns summari(ing sections of
the material for one another. ;hile one student summari(es
the other listens and corrects any errors or omissions. Then
the t$o students s$itch roles continuing in this manner until
they have covered all the material to be learned. A series of
studies of this cooperative scripting method has consistently
found that students $ho study this $ay learn and retain far
more than students $ho summari(e on their o$n or $ho
simply read the material (7e$bern Dansereau <atterson 0
;allace !""#). It is interesting that $hile both participants in
the cooperative pairs gain from the activity the larger gains
are seen in the sections that students teach to their partners
rather than in those for $hich they serve as listeners (Spurlin
Dansereau 8arson 0 5roo%s !"2#). :ore recent studies of
various forms of peer tutoring find similar results (&uchs 0
&uchs !""3- =ing !""3 !""2).