Cooperative Learning Lesson Plans
Cooperative learning activities can help students feel like they are active members of a classroom community.
By Stephanie Marks
Cooperative learning is something that gives students ownership over curriculum, and alleviates the workload on the teacher during the actual class period, however, it takes a lot of preparation before the students enter the room. In my classroom, I always make sure to give students a clear set of expectations regarding it. I let them know what they should be doing during their cooperative learning activity, and tell them what the intended outcome should be. I assign roles to each student, such as group leader, recorder, reporter, and time keeper. I also post directions for the activity so that everyone can see them, go over the rules prior to letting the students get into groups, and keep the rules/expectations visible for the duration of the entire activity. This alleviates a lot of confusion and keeps downtime to a minimum.
One activity that has always been fun for students, and has kept them engaged, is cooperative research groups. Students are assigned a topic that they become experts on, and I do the background research to provide resources for students. The groups then have a specific amount of time, ranging anywhere from one to four class periods, to read the sources and gather information that can be used in a class presentation. Sometimes the presentations are made as posters. Students can then walk around and “visit” as if they were in a museum. There is also the option of having groups make presentations as well. This allows students the opportunity to take on the role of the teacher.
The most important way to make cooperative learning work in any classroom is by establishing a sense of respect and safety early on in the school year. I would start the year off with the idea of community, and would sometimes purposely make mistakes that I would allow students to correct so that they understood that education can come from many sources. The opportunity to teach the teacher allows students to build self confidence and to see themselves as valuable members of a learning community, and not just children in a classroom. Here are some more cooperative learning strategies and lessons.
Cooperative Learning Strategies and Lessons:
Students participate in a cell construction project that may be incorporated into a unit on the cell. It is a hands-on construction project that is done in a cooperative learning model. It also reinforces the higher order thinking skill of analogy building.
Huddled Masses Still Yearning to Breathe Free
Students examine the experience of modern-day immigrants through learning about the personal experiences of a variety of immigrants. Teachers use a newspaper article as a springboard for discussion about the obstacles often encountered by young immigrants coming to the United States in search of a better life. Students then interview someone who has immigrated to the United States or to another country to further explore the modern-day immigrant experience.
Students share ideas about class mobility. They create a timeline that chronicles milestones in their own lives, and synthesize their learning by writing personal essays about their class status and aspirations for the future.