Revista simpozionului Eficienta si calitate in educatie 2018 Revista simpozionului | Page 69

COOPERATIVE LEARNING ACTIVITIES
Oana Trinbițaș, Liceul Teoretic „Constantin Noica” Sibiu
Abstract: Cooperative learning is a teaching strategy classroom teachers use to help their students
process information more quickly by having them work in small groups to accomplish a common goal.
Each member that is in the group is responsible for learning the information given, and also for helping
their fellow group members learn the information as well. The following article provides two examples of
cooperative learning activities suitable for a foreign language class in upper secondary education.
Key words: cooperative learning, classroom close-up, questions, responses, Numbered heads together
Cooperative learning is one of the methods of processing and constructing meaning. It is
a much better alternative to the competitive approach to practicing skills at foreign
languages. When carefully planned, it can improve time on task and develop social skills
that not only enhance community but that are increasingly important in the workplace. It
enhances a sense of mutual responsibility and a sharing of gifts (“all for one, one for
all”). It counters self-centered individualism and promotes collaborative work.
Cooperative Learning Activity: Classroom close-up
This type of activity is particularly beneficial for students who have problems seeing
relationships because it helps them synthesize and integrate information . As well as
this, this processing activity encourages cooperation and builds relationships within a
group, which is one of the key aspects of character education. In the example below,
students who have been investigating similar topics share information they have
gathered. They see how their information links together and relates to the overarching
questions.
Students work in small groups to create "And... But..." discussions. One student starts a
discussion by presenting a conclusion from his or her research. Then another student
elaborates or disagrees by continuing with a sentence that begins with "and" or "but."
Everyone in the group has a chance to add to the discussion. The activity encourages
students to think in new ways about their information, provides them with additional
ideas, and helps them to link their separate searches.
Setting the context
The teacher wants the students to combine their information to answer a unit's
overarching or main concepts. He explains, "Today you will be integrating information. I
call this the And . . . But . . . activity. It involves drawing on your notes, linking
information, and making comparisons. I want to make it clear from the beginning that
"and" means an agreement or addition to the previous sentence, while "but" signals a
contrasting idea from what was just stated.”
Doing the activity:
The teacher directs the students' attention to the overarching concepts on the bulletin
board. "I'd like you to form groups according to the overarching concept that best relates
to your I-Search topics," he explained. "Remember to take your note cards with you."
Once students were seated in their groups, the teacher explains the process.
One member of each group begins the discussion with one thought-provoking or
controversial sentence that expresses a finding from his or her notes. Other members of
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