This document discusses cooperative learning, an instructional method where students work in groups to help each other master material presented by the teacher. There are two main types - formal, lasting one class period to weeks, and informal, lasting minutes to one class period. Effective cooperative learning utilizes principles like positive interdependence and individual accountability. Several specific cooperative learning strategies are described, including Think-Pair-Share, Three-Step Interview, Jigsaw Technique, and Three-Minute Review. Cooperative learning has been shown to increase self-confidence, communication skills, and critical thinking when implemented properly in the classroom.

1. NEW B.Ed COLLEGE,
NELLIMOODU
2014-15

2. ONLINE ASSIGNMENT
ARCHA MOHAN.S
MATHEMATIC
18014376004

4. TOPIC:
COOPERATIVE
LEARNING

5. Introduction
Cooperative is one of the most remarkable and fertile areas of theory, research and
practice in education. Cooperative learning is an instructional method that encourages
students to work in groups to master material presented by the teacher. In this method
students listen, argue, discuss, explain and teach in their effort to help each other and master
the academic content presented by the instructor. Group members are responsible for making
sure all members understand the material.
Students work from beginning to end the assignment until all group members
successfully comprehend and complete it. It increases self confidence and communication
skills of individual, strengthen the power solving and critical thinking and student
participation in the process of education. Cooperative learning utilizes ideas of Vygotsky,
Piaget and Kohlberg in that both the individual and the social setting are involved in the
learning process as students attempt to initiate life learning.
There are two cognitive theories that are directly applied to cooperative learning, the
developmental and the elaboration theories. The developmental theories assume that the
interaction among students around appropriate task increases their mastery of critical
concept. The elaboration theory suggests that one of the most effective means of learning is
to explain the material to someone else.
Principles of cooperative learning
 Positive interdependence
 Face to face interaction
 Individual and group accountability
 Interpersonal and small groups skills
 Group processing
Types of cooperative learning
1. Formal cooperative learning:
It consist of students working together, for one class
period to several weeks to achieve shared learning goals

6. and complete jointly specific tasks and assignment. The
role of teacher is to maximize interdependence and
active learning among students.
2. Informal cooperative learning:
Here students work together to achieve a joint learning
goal that last from a few minutes to one class period.
The teacher’s role is to keep students more actively
engage intellectually before and after the lesson.
Different methods of cooperative learning
There are a number of cooperative learning strategies that can be used in different
situations in the classrooms. Some of them are:
 Think – Pair - Share
 Three - step Interview
 Round Table or Rally Table
 Group Investigations
 Jigsaw Technique
 Rally Robin
 Three - minute review
Think – Pair – Share
Think – Pair – Share is a method that allows students to engage in individual and
small group thinking before they are asked to answer questions in front of the whole class.
There are four steps in this method.
Step I : Group of four students listen to a question posted by the teacher.
Step II: Individual students are given time to think and then write their responses.
Step III: Pairs of students read and discuss their responses.
Step IV: A few students are called on by the teacher to share their thoughts and ideas
with the whole class.

7. Three – Step Interview
It is a strategy that is effective when students are solving problems that have no
specific right answers. Three steps are involved in this process.
Step I: The teacher presents as issue about which varying opinions exist and poses
several questions for the class to address.
Step II: The student in pairs becomes the interviewer and the interviewee.
Step III: After the first interview has been completed, the student’s roles are switched.
After all interviews have been done, the class writes a summary report of the results.
Round Table or Rally Table
The roundtable has three steps.
Step I: The teacher poses a question that has multiple answers.
Step II: The student each in group writes one response on a paper and passes
counterclockwise to the next student.
Step III: Teams with greatest number of correct responses gain some type of
recognition
This type of Cooperative learning can easily be used in the mathematics classroom.
Group Investigations
Group investigations are structured to emphasis higher-order thinking skills such as
analysis and evaluation. Students work to produce a group project, which they may have a
hand in selecting.
STAD (Students teams – achievement divisions)

8. STAD is used in grades 2-12. Students with varying academic abilities are assigned to
4 or 5 member teams in order to supply what has been initially taught by the teacher and help
each student reach his or her highest level of achievement. Students are then tested
individually. Teams earn certificates or other recognition based on the degree to which all
team members have progressed over their past records.
Jigsaw Technique
The key to implementation of Jigsaw is the creation of gap in student’s information
and using this gap as a motivator for their further involvement in the learning processes.
Jigsaw I has main components: reading, expert group discussion, team report, testing and
team recognition. In Jigsaw after the material to be learnt is divided in two separate units, it
is presented in ‘base groups’ of 4 or 6 heterogeneous members assembled by the teacher.
Rally Robin
Rally Robin or Round Robin Brainstorming is strategies where the class divided into small
groups of 4 to 6 students per group with one person appointed as the recorder. A question is
posed by the teacher with many possible answers and students are given time to think about
answers. After the ‘think time’ members of the team share responses with one another in
round robin style. The recorder writes down all the answers of the group members. The main
difference is that in round robin one student does all the recording for all members of his
group.
Three – minute review
Three – minute review is used when the teacher stop any time during a lecture or
discussion and allows team three minutes to review what has been said with their group.
Students in their group can ask a clarifying question to the other members or answer
questions of others.
Conclusion
Cooperative learning method help students to learn from each other by creating small
mixed group towards a common purpose in academic subjects, both in classroom and in

9. other environment. Cooperative learning is a popular instructional arrangement for teaching
mathematics to students both with and without LD. Coupled with direct instruction,
cooperative learning holds great promise as a supplement to textbook instruction by
providing students with LD opportunities to practice math skills and concepts, reason and
problem solve with peers, use mathematical language to discuss concepts, and make
connections to other skills and disciplines. Carefully constructed lessons, using the "lesson
preparation," "lesson instruction," and "lesson evaluation" components can offer students
with LD rich learning opportunities in mathematics instruction.
Reference s
 http://www.ldonline.org/article/5932/
 http://www.mathgoodies.com/articles/coop_learning.html
 www.wikepedia.com