Cooperative/ collaborative learning

Cooperative/ collaborative learning is a process where the teacher assigns a groups and a project for each group to construct. In this project each student will have an individual grade but have to work as a group to complete the assignment. This allows the students to interact with others in the classroom. Beyond strengthening the student’s social skills, this activity also allows the students to share both their strengths and get assistance from their peers on their weaknesses. Constructing a cooperative/ collaborative learning assignment allows the student to open up and more so it allows the student to hold a responsibility. The student should be informed prior to the instructions of the group assignment that each student has their own individual responsibility to the group; if they fail to comply with the assignment they are not only hurting themselves but the students in their group. By informing the students of this ahead of time they will gain a larger interest because they are now aware that should they mess up, the students will then look down on him or her. Cooperative/ collaborative learning is a great way to teach and be taught. Many times in a group assignment the teacher asks each group to share what they have done to the teacher individually or the class entirely. When this is done the teacher will see that the student’s will sometimes share information he or she may not have known. In this assignment students hold on a great challenge, as I stated previously, these students are aware of the responsibility they hold therefore, they are given more of a challenge when they are completing their assignment. A collaborative lesson plan not only helps the student through the assignment with the assistance of classmates, it also assists the student with learning to deal with problems which may occur throughout the assignment just as in everyday life. For instance, if the group has five members and each member is designated to one specific subject (depending on the assignment), one member leaves the school, now there are only four members and the work from the fifth member is not complete. What will the group do? These are real life issues they will have to learn to deal with starting now. If they are able to work out the problem in a fair manner then they have learned how to be equal and work through last minute crises. Collaborative learning helps the student academically socialize in the class, help others with their strengths, get assistance with their weaknesses, learn to solve real life issues and plenty more! Collaborative learning is usually placed in a constructivist lesson. It is a great experience for both the student and the teacher. The student gets to move around and the teacher gets to see the students talents beyond their individual practice!