Strategy 1: Cooperative Group Teaching

Help learners to learn from each other

Strategy 1: Cooperative Group

Teaching
Help learners to learn from each other
The learning model is a social approach. Students with an emotional or social
disability would need to be supported within this type of learning experience.
Talk with your Student Support advisor about ideas to support the EAP goals and the
learning goal for this strategy.

The Strategy
Effective teachers use a mix of whole class, group and individual activities.
Cooperative group teaching (cooperative learning) involves learners working
together in small learning groups, helping each other to carry out individual and
group tasks. It is an effective strategy for teaching learners with special educational
needs, especially in mixed-ability groups. Where modelling can take place for
students that need the practical support.
Cooperative group teaching is a cost-effective strategy if you have large classes.

The Underlying Idea

Four essential components for cooperative learning
Interdependence
Individual accountability
Cooperation
Evaluation

The Practice

Goal interdependence
Reward interdependence
Resource interdependence
Role interdependence

Role in Cooperative Group Teaching

Decide when it is most appropriate to use cooperative group learning

Develop appropriate group tasks
Teach group process skills by having roles for each member of the group

Ability Grouping vs Mixed Ability Grouping

Ability grouping is detrimental to lower-achieving learners
Use mixed-ability groups for most content areas;
Encourage learners identification with mixed ability groups in order to
promote acceptance of diversity; and

Strategy 1: Cooperative Group Teaching

Help learners to learn from each other

Use ability grouping only when it will increase the efficacy of instruction or
provide more time for instruction on a specific skill.

The Evidence
Cooperative Learning

With a focus on all learners, not just those with special educational needs,
Hattie identified two groups of meta-analyses that involve cooperative
learning:
(a) those that compare cooperative with individualistic learning (effect size =
0.59) and
(b) those that compare cooperative learning with competitive learning
(effective size = 0.54).
These results point to the power of peers in the learning process.
In Cooperative Reading and Composition (CIRC) classes, learners worked in
heterogeneous groups on activities. Significant results were reported in favour
of those in CIRC classes on standardised reading and writing tests.
Structured group provided more directions and help to other group members
and obtained significantly higher performances
A macro-level study examined the impact of different types of national
educational systems on student achievement. With reference to developed
countries, it compared (a) systems that use ability grouping to create tiers of
schools with curriculum differentiation for each level, and (b) those that have
non-selective secondary schools with largely mixed-ability classes and
common curriculum. This approach contrasted countries such as Austria,
Hungary, Italy, Germany and the Netherlands in the former group, and
Sweden in the latter group. It was concluded (a) that having high ability/high
achieving classmates/schoolmates is associated with increased achievement
and (b) that ability grouping with curriculum differentiation increases the
achievement gap. However, it was noted that numerous methodological
issues remain with this kind of research, which suggests the need for caution
in interpreting the relationships between different country systems and student
achievement.

Addressing Risks

Take care in selecting members of groups that include learners with special
educational needs including learners with emotional and behaviour disorders.
You cannot expect that all learners in a group will respect each other or take a
full part in cooperative activities.
Further risk is too much reliance in cooperative learning.

Conclusion
With some exceptions, the research evidence clearly supports the use of cooperative
group learning to promote academic achievement and social development, not only
for learners with special educational needs, but for all learners. It means that your

Strategy 1: Cooperative Group Teaching

Help learners to learn from each other
work as an educator is supplemented by the skills and enthusiasms of all the
learners in your class.