Lesson 13 Cooperative Learning with the Computer

Content

                Cooperative learning is learning by small groups of students who work together in common learning task. There are 5 elements of cooperative learning:    A common goal,   interdependence, interaction, individual accountability and social skills. Therefore, not every group work is cooperative learning since students working on their worksheets physically sat around a table may be working together without these features of cooperative learning. Researchers have made studies on the learning interaction between the student and the computer. Given the opportunity to work individually or in group, the students generally wish to work in computer-based than non-computer-based activities. Psychologists think the computer fosters this positive social behaviour due to the fact that it has a display monitor-just like a television set-that is looked upon as something communal.

 Components of cooperative learning

·         

•     Assigning students to mixed-ability teams
• .     2. Establishing positive interdependence
• ·        Teaching cooperative social skills
• ·        Insuring individual accountability, and
• ·        Helping groups process information

Experience

                As a student, I would agree to the statement said in the upper part that not all working together activities can be called cooperative learning because sometimes in a group activity only few of the group members would cooperate while some will remain passive. As it is said it cannot be called a cooperative learning when one of the 5 elements is not found.  And with relation to cooperative learning with the computer, the common problem is that not all members of the group have a computer for an easy access.

Reflection

                        The participation of everyone in the group must be strictly observed for the teacher to know how he/she gives grade to each and to be fair for those who actively and willingly contribute to the topic. One from the group may be obligated to list all the names of contributors to each topic they take. Skills in listening, negotiating, compromising, punctuality, tolerance are probably the most important things in a group work. It can surely help to let the students enjoy while learning.

Application

                  There are persons who are too shy to express what they want and share what they know. The teacher may help by letting them contribute one by one so that they can overcome their shyness. Cooperative learning should be applied often but the teacher should also have the time to discuss so that students may also learn from the teacher and not just only from the group.