Cohort 1 Nov 2012

Placemat The possibilities and the

Challenges

Teams Games Tournaments- A Co-operative
learning strategy










Johnsons 5 basic elements

1. JOHNSONS 5 BASIC ELEMENTS OF EFFECTIVE GROUP
WORK
Individual Accountability
Each student is responsible for their own learning
2. Face to Face Interaction
Groups of 2 4 and facing each other
Rearrange the room if necessary!
3. Collaborative Skills (skills embedded into the group
work process that may need to be taught overtly)
Social skills
Communication skills
Critical thinking skills
4. Processing
The need to reflect and assess on the groups effort
academically and socially
Needed for development over time
5. Positive Interdependence
Students are supportive of each others learning
Needs to be taught
Johnson identifies 9 ways to encourage this
Johnsons 9 Positive Interdependencies:
. Goal: Role Motivation etc
SET UP TABLES WITH 2 TABLES AND 4 CHAIRS
Put students into groups of 4 to review information( you can
have set this for homework) or use second class of double to
review information Ask them to come up with group name eg
Columbus
Split groups into A and B eg two in Columbus A two in
Columbus B
Tell As to stay where they are and select which Bs you want to go
where( try to match evenly) so Cortez b you play Magellan A
Give each table a Score sheet(middle of desk) a question
sheet(right side) and an answers sheet(left side)
Give students a deck of cards(in middle)
Collaborative focus. Working together and being a good sport
AND not shouting out
Motivation. Incentive above 20 no h/w winners get 10% extra in
next test


Questions broke up into Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs and Spades(Draw
these symbols on board)
Group A take a card eg 3 of hearts and group B ask them that question.
Members of A confer and give answer.Bs take up answer sheet and check
answer then they put it back down. If correct Team A get 3 marks ie 3 of
hearts =3marks 4of spades=4 marks and write it on score sheet. If a
member shouts out answer before conferring and is wrong 0 points
If pull ace its worth 1 jack worth double eg jack then get another go if
they pull 4 they get 8 for correct answer
There is a cover sheet over Qs and As to make sure you stop cheating
Put used cards into separate pile
Give a set amount of time eg 20 minutes
At end each group adds up score(As confirm score of Bs and vice versa
and Bs go back to original group where add two scores togethereg
Cortez A and B together, Columbus A and B together Highest score wins


If there is controversy over answer they are to put up
hands and you will adjudicate
If there are uneven number put 3 into a team or let 1
person be a group by themselves
Have punishment worksheet for student if they are
being disruptive( divide his groups score by 2)
You can have up to 10 Qs per suite(4 suites) of cards
but given time usually have 24-28 qs so ace to 7 of
all Hearts, Clubs. etc
This works best when you and they are used to the
noise of co-operative learning but it can be a way of
introducing it too
You could do Q cards like trivial pursuit