How many times have you had to work or play a sport with others. In order for the a project to be successful, those involved must cooperate. Groups or teams must work together with each member responsible for his/her job. The group's success is dependent on the each individual's contribution. Our world today has become smaller because of the ease of communication between geographically far away places. So much work today involves cooperation between groups or individuals that are located in different prts of the world.
The instructional strategy of cooperative learning groups gives students the chance to develop the ability to learn and create cooperatively. One component of cooperative learning that correlates to social learning theory is the building of interpersonal and small group skills such as encouragement and conflict resolution (Pitler, et al, 2007). Dr. Orey also states in this week's media resources, that cooperative learning groups provide encouragement, validation and immediate feedback as ideas bounce back and forth (Laureate,2008). The jigsaw learning strategy motivated learners to become teachers within the group. To be able to teach you must understand the content very well. This is supported by the idea, that the best way to learn is to teach. Technology plays crucial role in facilitating cooperative learning (Pitler, et al,2007). Facebook, blogs, wikis, webquests, voice threads, Google Docs, and Skype allow students to communicate, collaborate, receive and give feedback, even though members of the group are not face-to-face. As educators we must model the social skills necessary for cooperative learning groups to succeed. This something is a fact that is not always the case in our schools today.
As stated in the book, Using Technology with Classroom Instruction That Works, in order to be prepared for the fast-paced global workplace, students need to be able to learn and produce cooperatively (2007).
References
Laureate Education Inc. (Producer). (2008). Program eight. Social Learning Theories [Motion Picture]. Bridging learning theory, instruction, and technology. Baltimore: Author.
Pitler, H., Hubbell, E., Kuhn, M., & Malenoski, K.(2007) Using technology with classroom instruction that works. Alexandria, Va. ASCD
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4 comments:
Luis,
You mentioned the Jigsaw learning strategy. This is something that I like to use with my classes. Every time I have done this activity it has been a success. You state, “To be able to teach you must understand the content very well.” This is why I believe this learning strategy works with students. Students take responsibility for their material and enjoy passing on what they have learned. By using technology like the ones you mentioned, students can experience this learning strategy while enhancing their 21st century skills.
Cameron
Cameron, you are right about students enjoying the fact they can be the teacher for a while. Their confidence levels go up when they know that they can explain a topic to other students.
Luis,
I love how you started out by comparing social learning to team sports since you cannot be successful in team sports if all the members of the team do not work as a team. I feel that in a classroom this same approach can be applied to the way that teachers can input social learning. The ability for students to help teach the class and act as the manager for a day can allow students that are struggling to keep up with a normally taught class to be successful in school.
Becky thank s for your comments. I started teaching as a substitute teacher at the same time as I started coaching. Coaching helped me become a better teacher and teaching help me become a better coach. In reality they are both the same, just in a different classroom. I have seen the lack of cooperation with teaching staff in a school. Teamwork and cooperation a necessary skills that are students must develop.
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