Week 5

 

Social Interactive Model/Cooperative Learning

What do you think each of the PIGS elements means?

    - Before discovering what each of these elements mean, I believe that...

Positive Interdependence can be when student(s) share knowledge and help each other reach goals in the classroom.

Individual Accountability is when each group member works independently on a single part of a group project, then comes together and share their findings to contribute to the project.

Group Processing could be evaluating group members and how well they are working together on a certain task.

Social Skills is when students display the proper and appropriate skills needed to work efficiently in a group setting.

Why is implementing the Social Interactive Model/Cooperative Learning important?

Implementing the Social Interactive Model/Cooperative Learning is important because this allows teachers to place students in a position where they can learn to efficiently work together and depend on each other to reach learning goals. Students are able to work independently/be responsible for their own work and still contribute to their classmates in group work.

Textbook Reading - Chapter 6 + Chapter 7

Goals, Characteristics, and Methods of the Social Interactive Model/Cooperative Learning...

According to Chapter 6 of the textbook, students in democratic classroom communities:

1. They feel safe and secure in the class.
2. They experience academic and social success.
3. They identify areas of personal talent and interest.
4. They feel accepted by other children and adults.
5. They contribute to the success of the class and view themselves as an important part of the class.

Students are expected to share responsibilities and individually contribute to the learning environment in the classroom.

When teachers are experiencing cooperative learning in their classrooms, as they evaluate their students, some of these questions should be asked:

1. Which students are leaders when participating in group building activities?
2. Which students demonstrate good social skills?
3. Which students are knowledgeable about the content and skills of the subject area?
4. Which students are shy, withdrawn, or reticent?
5. Which students have difficulty communicating with others?
6. Which students do not actively participate in the group activities?
7. Which students seem to have trouble interacting with other students?

The textbook had these questions listed and I strongly agree with them! It is very important for teachers to constantly be monitoring the behaviors of their students. This way discussions can be had and improvements can be made to better the overall learning experiences in the classroom. During social interactive learning or cooperative learning, students need to be engaged and contributing, that is what will lead to success and having fun while doing so!

Also, by asking these questions and taking observations, data should be collected and evaluated for future classroom activities. 

Methods...

1. Lectures are the most direct way of teaching
2. Small Groups, teachers provide the learning materials and objective and students work together to achieve their goal!
3. Individualized Instruction is not a direct way of teaching but it allows students to work at their achievement level. (mastery learning, tutoring, independent study, etc)

Essentials for Cooperative Learning and Successful Collaboration

According to Chapter 7, here are some facts...

1. The affective needs of students must be met. According to Dr. William Glasser, these needs are: acceptance and belonging, power, freedom, and fun.²
2. Students need to have opportunities to get to know one another and become part of a democratic classroom community.
3. Competition in the classroom needs to be reduced or eliminated.

• Cooperative groups are usually chosen by the teacher on the basis of the students’ achievement in the class. 
• Cooperative learning promotes positive interdependence among group members.
• Individual accountability lets the hardworking students know that their efforts are appreciated and noticed by the teacher. It is important that the student who has worked hard in the group is not penalized because another group member did not put forth as much effort.

Study the Theory

-  Cooperative Learning is a very unique way of teaching in the classroom as it promotes different ways that students can not only work independently but work together to create successful learning! One of the main goals in cooperative learning is for students to take responsibility for their own work. Also, reward structures are incorporated into this style of teaching, which promotes more engagement in learning. There are many benefits of using the Social Interactive Model such as groups achieving goals together and demonstrating interdependence. Not only can students learn from one another while working in groups, but students can find a friend in one another in the process! In the article: "Two Heads Are Better Than One," by R. Johnson and D. Johnson, I really liked the phrase used, "sink or swim together." This phrase tells a lot! As a group, the members have two choices; 1, equally participate and contribute together to learn and create the best possible outcome or 2, disengage in learning and fail to learn about the topic assigned with the opportunity of working with others. I believe that cooperative learning can be very beneficial to students and teachers while we all discover what works best for us and have fun while doing so!

5 Key Elements of Cooperative Learning, "More than just working in groups"

1. Positive interdependence 
2. Individual Accountability
3. Face to Face (Promotive) Interaction
4. Interpersonal and Small Group Social Skills
5. Group Processing 

Kagan Strategies Video

My Thoughts: Kagan strategies are a way of helping students to work together, cooperatively, giving each student a job so every student is held accountable in the classroom. One way I learned that you can implant Kagan, is to have the students' shoulder partner work with them. For example, having a worksheet in between them while one student is working to complete it and the other is coaching them in the process, then rotate between roles. "Stand Up, Hand Up, Pair Up!" is a structure that allows students to move throughout the classroom and find somebody to high five, then complete the assignment with that person, then keeping repeating this until the timer goes off. A benefit for teachers is that you can view that all your students are working and staying engaged. The timer system motivates students to get done the task that they are responsible for. One thing I noticed from watching this video and the others, is that the students seem to have a smile on their face while working together and they are always working towards their goal.