TEACHING COOPERATIVE LEARNING TECHNIQUES (TEFL)

TEACHING COOPERATIVE LEARNING TECHNIQUES

A.     Proficiency Level

Advanced

B.      Objectives

1)      To introduce some techniques of cooperative learning

2)      To introduce key components of cooperative learning – positive interdependence, individual accountability, collaborative skills, processing group interaction, and heterogeneous grouping.

C.      Cooperative Learning Techniques

Jigsaw I (Slavin, 1990), roundtable

D.     Learning Materials

Three-Step Interview, TGT, one stay-two stray, components of cooperative learning

E.      Time

60 minutes

F.       Procedures

Jigsaw I

Step 1 -  Students form groups of Four. This is their home team. Each group, each person has a different letter of A, B, C, D.  Each receives the piece from the handout. Each peace explains one technique of cooperative learning

Step 2 -  Each person leaves their home team and forms a group with the same letter (A-A, B-B, C-C, D-D). This is their expert team. The expert team’s task has two parts (a) to learn their techniquewell; and (b) to be ready to teach them when they return to their home team. Time limit: 15 minutes

Step 3 -  Students return to their home teams. In the technique of Roundtable, beginning with person A, each person has five minutes to explain – answer questions from other members of their home team.  They should be teaching, not reading from the handout. The responds in the form of comments or questions is after the explanation of the expert. Time limit: 20 minutes

Step 4 -  Students return to their expert team. Teacher gives them a task to write about another technique that is explained by another expert in their home team. This is to check whether they understand the explanation or not.Time limit: 5 minutes

Step 5 -  Each expert team present another expert teams’ material. Time limit: 15 minutes.

Step 6 -  Teacher reviews the materials. Time limits: 5 minutes

G.     References

Brown, H. D. 2007. Teaching by Principle: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy. Third Edition. New York: Pearson-Longman.

Jacob, E.1999. Cooperative Learning in Context, an Educational Innovation in Everyday Classrooms. New York: University of New York Press.

Jacobs, G.M. 1996. Learning Cooperative Learning Via Cooperative Learning: A Sourcebook of Lesson Plans for Teacher Education on Cooperative Learning. Singapore: SEAMEO Regional Language Centre Singapore.

Slavin, R.E. 1995. Cooperative Learning.Second Edition.

A

TGT (TEAM –GAME-TOURNAMENT)

Step 1 -  The teacher presents a lesson via lecture, a textbook, etc.

Step 2 -  Heterogeneous teams of four or five students study together in preparation for individually taking a quiz on the material presented by the teacher. Teams often choose team names.

Step 3 -  students leave their teams and go to tournaments tables. At each table are three students from different teams. Each student is roughly similar in terms of achievement. A set of cards is at the table. Each card has one question based on the teacher’s presentation.

Step 4 -  At the tournament tables, students take turns reading aloud and trying to answer the questions on the cards. The other can challenge answers if they think they are wrong. The correct answer is on the back of the card. The student who answers the most cards correctly earns 60 points for their team, with 40 for second place, and 20 for third. In the event of a tie, students get average number of points for the place (first, second, or third) involved. For example, if there is a tie for first and second, they each get 50 points.

Step 5 -  Students return to their teams and calculate the average number of points each person earned.

B

ONE STAY – TWO STRAY

Step 1 -  Students form a group of three. Each group chooses different materials. The groups make a small sign with the name of the topic of the material they discuss.

Step 2 -  Each group discusses the materials

Step 3 -  In each group, one member stays where the group is sitting and holds up their sign.

Step 4 -  The other two members stray. They leave their group, individually, not as a pair, look at the signs of the groups and sit down next to the student whose sign has the name of the topic they are interested to learn.

Step 5 -  The stayers explain their group’s discussion to the Strayers who sat down next to them. The Strayers ask questions and perhaps give comments.

Step 6 -  TheStrayers return to their original group and tell about what they observed.

Step 7 -  A new stayer is chosen, and the process is repeated. Everyone gets a chance to be the Stayer.

Step 9 -  The class discusses all materials, first in group and then as a whole class

C 

THREE-STEP INTERVIEW

Step 1 -  Students form groups of four. Each person in the group has a letter: A, B, C, or D.

Step 2 -  Student A interviews student B; student C interviews student D. when finished, they switch roles: student B interviews student A; student D interviews students C.

Step 3 -  Group members each take turns telling the other members of their group about the material they got from interview, i.e. Student A tells student C and D about the material from student B, etc.

Step 4 -  Each student tells the whole class about one person in their group, e.g., student A in one group can tell what they learned from student C about student D.

                                    D

STUDENTS TEAM-ACHIEVEMENT DIVISIONS 

Step 1 -       The teacher presents a lesson via lecture, a textbook, etc

Step 2 -       Heterogenous teams of four or five students study together in preparation for individually taking a quiz on the material presented by the teacher. Teams often choose team names.

Step 3 -       Students take the quiz. Students work alone to take a quiz on material

Step 4 -       Each student’s score on the quiz and their average on past quizes are used to calculate how many points the student earned for their team. The points of each team member are summed and count for rewards.