AMITY INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION

COOPERATIVE LEARNING
Nature and Concept In our schools, the students are organized in grades or classes on the
basis of their level of achievement in the prescribed curriculum. The students placed in a
class, by and large, belong to the same age group. A teacher is called upon to transact the
prescribed curriculum to the whole class treating it as one unit in spite of the fact that each
class comprises students of varying levels of abilities and interests. It is quite natural that
in a mixed ability class, different students shall have different perceptions and experiences
about the same curriculum. On the other hand, in an individualized learning situation, a
teacher gets an opportunity to reorient his/her teaching to the specific needs of an
individual student who proceeds at his/her own pace. However, it is not possible for a
teacher to attend to the needs of all students individually. Researchers have developed the
cooperative learning strategies as an alternative to both whole class teaching and learning
strategies and the individualized learning strategies. The cooperative strategies make an
attempt to overcome the weaknesses of both whole class and individualized learning
strategies.
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"Cooperative learning is a set of teaching strategies used to help

learners meet specific learning and interpersonal goals in structured
groups (Slavin, 1995)". This definition of cooperative learning includes
the following three ideas: Cooperative Learning It is not a single
teaching or learning strategy. It is a set of teaching strategies. It helps
the learners to achieve two types of goals, i.e. learning goals and
interpersonal goals. This implies that cooperative learning is conducive
for the improvement of students' learning achievement as well as for
the development of interpersonal skills. Cooperative learning takes
place in structured groups, that is, the groups which are formed in a
planned and systematic manner.
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COOPERATIVE LEARNING STRATEGIES

To translate the principles and assumptions of cooperative learning
into practice, several strategies have been evolved by the
educational researchers and practitioners. These strategies differ
from each other in some respects but they hake many common
features also as all of them are based on the same principles.
However, the cooperative learning strategies have the following
essential components (Slavin, 1995): Group goals Individual
accountability Equal opportunity for success
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Group goals: In a team sport like hockey or football, all the members do not possess the
same level of expertise but they all contribute to the team effort to realize its goal of
winning the game. The victory is perceived as the reward of the entire team rather than
the reward of one or a few individuals. Goals of . cooperative learning groups are
similar. The goal of a learning group is evidently the successful completion of the given
learning task. The group members work together, help each other and win the reward as
a group. On the other hand, in the whole class teaching system, each student competes
for recognition and reward as an individual. Individual accountability: As stated earlier,
in cooperative learning it is the group which wins recognition. However, this does not
mean that individual members can afford to be lethargic. Each team member is
responsible for mastering the content, as each student has to be assessed individually.
The group performance and individual performance in a group are always
interdependent; therefore, it is imperative to enhance the performance level of each
member of the group
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Equal opportunity for success: In groups, all students, regardless of

their past achievement, have equal chance of contributing to the
realization of group goals. Students compete with their own
performance, not with each other. Improvement in the performance
of a low achiever or average achiever or high achiever leads to
improvement in the overall performance of the group as a whole.
Thus, each member, irrespective of his/her level of past
achievement, gets a similar opportunity to contribute to the
accomplishment of the group.
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Teacher Presentation Students Revision (TPSR)

This strategy is very simple as it is used along with the conventional whole class teaching. It can be used
for the teaching of all subjects in any class. Its main purpose is to strengthen learning resulting from whole
class strategy. The underlying assumption is that the subject matter presented by the teacher is better
grasped by the students if it is revised by them in small groups. The use of this method will provide
opportunities to the students to verbalize their learning which helps in the clarification of concept which in
turn lays the foundation for making the learning stable and lasting. The group may appoint one of the
bright students as the group leader or chairperson. The group leader may ask one of the students to
summarize the content of the lesson taught by the teacher and encourage other students to ask questions
relating to the points not understood by them. The students who have understood the content shall provide
answers to the question in their own ways. The group leader may moderate and regulate the discussion on
the probable answers to the question in hand. The questions, which are not answered or resolved in the
group, may be brought to the whole class for resolution with the help of students of other groups or by the
teacher. For example, after teaching the lesson on the great. uprising of 1857 in social sciences, you can
divide the class into groups for revision and discussion. During group work, some of the students may
provide details or offer explanations which might have been missed by you. In case one of the groups fails
to resolve the question relating to the difference between-the immediate and the long term causes, it may
be brought back to the whole class for further discussion.
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TPSR strategy can be implemented as under: Teach the content of the lesson
in hand in your own usual way which may be a blend of exposition,
discussion, illustration, etc. Divide the class into groups and ask the members
of each group to nominate their group leader. Give instructions for the
organization of group work before asking them to work separately. Monitor
the proceedings of all the groups and provide on the spot guidance, if
required. Organize plenary session to attend to the issues which could not be
resolved in groups. This could be accomplished with the help of students of
other groups. Reteach those portions of the content which all the students
have failed to comprehend. This can be done by using different examples,
illustrations, etc. or by using :appropriate instructional aids.
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Student Teams Achievement Divisions (STAD)

Student Team Achievement Divisions (STAD) is one of the most well known strategizes of
cooperative learning which uses four or five member teams to master topics dealing with basic skills.
Like the teacher presentation student revision strategy (TPSR), teachers using STAD initially present
the content or skill as they normally would. After the initial presentation you ask the students to work
on the concept or skill in the setting of a structured group. When they understand the content, you
administer a test and assign a score to each student and then derive improvement score by comparing
the present score of the student with his/her base score. On the basis of improvement scores of
individual members, average improvement score of each group is calculated which serves as the
criterion for giving awards to the groups. Innovative techniques make teaching learning process more
effective. STAD, for example, can be experimented to find out if it can result in greater development
of communicative skills in English among slow learners. Another objective of the experiment can be if
such learning could lead to better performance in school examinations. You may identify slow learners
on the basis of some achievement test and divide them into small groups, each comprising five to eight
students. The learning content may be broken into manageable units through carefully planned
learning materials.
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List of new words and phrases may be prepared. Appropriate learning tasks or activities where the
learner has to use some learning strategies such as associating, guessing, analyzing, generalizing, etc.
in understanding the lesson. STAD module for different units prepared by the teacher may be
distributed among the students. They may be helped to form realistic targets or goals of Cooperative
Learning achievements. The experiment may comprise three stages. In the first stage, the teacher may
read the module aloud and give brief explanations wherever necessary. In the second stage, the
groups may be asked to go through the materials as well as the textual lesson using different learning
strategies under the guidance of the teacher. In the third stage, the groups may meet the teacher and
discuss the difficult as well as interesting points. The teacher may also arrange a quiz session.
Assessment of the work can take place in the last stage. You may find that lot of self-learning takes
place through self-direction, struggle and efforts on the part of the learners. STAD can be used for a
range of topics in all subjects. For example, the strategy can be used for topics like solar system,
water cycle, etc in science, climate regions, longitude and latitude problems in social studies, parts of
body and characteristics of drugs in health education. Implementation of STAD shall involve four
broad phases: Initial presentation by the teacher; Team study or group work; Organization of quiz
sessions; Evaluation and grading
 AMITY INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION

Let us discuss each phase in brief. Initial presentation by the teacher: As stated earlier, initial
instruction when STAD is used, is similar to instruction in any other situation. However, it is
followed by team study in the place of independent practice by each individual. Team study or
group work: Slavin (1995) recommends the following steps for team study: a) Prepare work
sheets: Work sheets should require direct application of concepts, principals or rules taught in the
lesson. Also prepare answers to the items on the work sheets. b) Have teammates sit together: Let
students select a team name and team leader. Make sure the students know how to talk with each
other in voices just above a whisper. c) Identify pairs within the team of four members: In the case
of a team of five members identify a pair and a trio. d) Hand out two work sheets per team: This
encourages students to work together. Each person works on the problems or answers the
questions individually and then checks with the partners. In the case of this agreement they are to
present their arguments and resolve the problems themselves. If they can not settle the
disagreement, they confer with the other pair or trio in their team. They can ask the teacher for
help if the entire team fails to resolve the disagreement. e) Emphasize that team work will be
deemed finished only when team members are certain that everyone in their team understands and
can explain each of the items on worksheet.
 AMITY INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION

f) Continue moving among the teams, promoting cooperation and offering

encouragement and praise. Organization of quiz sessions: After team study
is completed, students are given a quiz that measures their understanding of
the content. Students take the quiz as individuals and the quiz is scored, as it
normally would be. The quiz should parallel the worksheet but items should
be changed to prevent students from merely memorizing the information.
Improvement points are then calculated and team rewards are given.
Evaluation and grading: When base scores are used, teachers should ensure
that improvement in scares is reflected in the individual student's term
grades. A specified number of improvement scores may lead to upward
revision in their grade. This puts them in the position of competing only
with their past performance, and it gives every student in the class a chance
for success.
 AMITY INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION

Team Games Tournaments

This strategy is based on the principle of cooperation within the team (group) and competition between teams (groups).
You might have observed that in games like hockey, football, basketball, etc, all the individual players play as a team to
win the game against another team. The individual members in a team 'lq thee best to help each other, particularly the
senior and experienced players he;$ and guide the youngsters to hone their playing skills. You can use this strategy by
devising a game" in your subject and then by dividing the class into teams of four or five members. For example, as a
language teacher you can devise a spelling or vocabulary game. ,You can make different teams to sit at different places
in the class and then ask each member of a team to give antonym or synonym of a given word. The score for a correct
response should be decided before hand. At the end of the round, a team shall have a score on the basis of correct
responses given by its members. The procedure is repeated with the other teams. At the end of the first round, you can
announce the total score of each team. The strategy can be used in all school subjects. For example, in Social Sciences,
team tournaments can be organized around mountains, rivers, .rainfall, historical personalities, political personalities,
events, etc. In Science, team tournaments can be organized on themes like physical ailments, solar system, application
of science and technology in agriculture, industry, etc. The strategy "teak games tournament" can be implemented as
under: Devise a game on an appropriate theme in your subject. . Divide the class into teams and assign the same theme
or different themes to all the teams. a Announce date and time of the tournament. Team members may meet in the
classroom, in the school library or at some other convenient place for making the plan. Frame rules and make the same
known to the team before the commencement of the tournament. Conduct the competition and give rewards to the
winning team. Organize tournaments periodically and ensure participation of all the students in the tournaments.
 AMITY INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION

Group Investigation
This strategy entails division of the class into a few small groups with four or five students in each group. These groups
are either assigned different , - Teaching Learning Strategies problems or different aspects of the same problem for
investigation. Focus of group investigation is relatively less on content goals and more on inquiry skills. You can
introduce the problem to the whole class if its various aspects are to be investigated by different groups. In case, each
group is assigned a separate problem, you will have to introduce the problem to the group concerned. Students are likely
to get fully involved in the investigation if the problem selected is a real life problem. For example, problems like
“monsoon failure", "delayed monsoon", can be selected for investigation after detailed consultation and discussion
between you and the students. Implementation of the study shall involve the following steps: (i) Selection of the
problem: Initiate discussion on a broad field of study. Encourage the students to participate actively in the discussion. To
ensure students' participation and to sustain their interest, you may have to put a series of interlinked thought provoking
questions. This may ultimately lead to the selection of the problem for investigation. For example, you may start with
the "importance of monsoons for the economy of the country" and end up with the problem of "monsoon failure" or
"delayed monsoon" for investigation. (ii) Plan of action: After selection of the problem, help the students to identify
various aspects of the problem for detailed investigation. Divide the class into a few groups and allow each group to
choose an aspect of its choice. Help each group to discuss and finalize its plan for investigation. For example, the
following may be identified as aspects of the problem of monsoon failure: Causes of "monsoon failure". Impact on socio
political life. Impact on economy. Remedial measures. The investigation plan prepared by the students shall include
proposed ' strategies for carrying out various tasks like gathering information, analysis and synthesis of collected
information, preparation of report, etc.
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(iii) Information gathering: After the finalization of plan of action, different members of the group
are engaged in gathering information as per the task assigned to them. You are expected not only to
tell them the sources of data but also guide them to reach the data. Students may have to visit some
places for on the spot observation or in some cases they may have to hold discussions with
knowledgeable persons. However, much of the information shall have to be obtained from books,
journals, magazines, newspapers, etc (Arora 2000).. (iv)Analysis and synthesis of data: After the
completion of information gathering, ask the groups to scrutinize the available data. On the basis of
thorough and analytical discussion on the collected information, students are likely to evolve a
holistic view of the problem. For example, regarding the problem of monsoon failure, the students
may be in a position to form a clear cut view about its causes, its impact on various aspects of life
and probable remedial measures. (v) Preparation and presentation of the final report: The groups
should be required to prepare the final report based on the results of the data analysis and present
the same to the whole class. The other students may make queries, raise questions and make
observations on the methodology of the investigation or on the content of the report. Obviously, the
members of the concerned group shall answer the queries and questions. Finally, the groups should
be expected to revise their reports in the light of feedback received from other members of the class
 AMITY INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION

Jigsaw
Jigsaw, developed by Slavin (1995), assigns students to groups and asks each student to become an expert on one aspect or
part of an organized body of knowledge. These experts then teach the portion of the content to other members of their
group. Thus, each student gets an opportunity to teach one aspect or component and is taught other aspects by different
members of hisher group. For example, for the topic on the achievements and policies of the Mughal Emperor Akbar, a
teacher of History can implement the strategy as under: i) Identify the major components of the broad topic. In the present
case, the components could be: a. Life and achievements b. Social life under Akbar c. Political life under Akbar d. Religious
policy of Akbar e. Art and culture under Akbar ii) Divide the class into groups with five members in each group. Assign
common names to different members in each group like A, B, C, D or E. iii) Assign the first component to the students with
the name A in all the groups. Likewise, the second, third, fourth, fifth components may be assigned to the students with the
names B, C, D and E respectively. iv) Allow sufficient time to the students to master the component assigned to them. Tell
them the references and other sources, which they could tap. Monitor and supervise the progress of different groups. v)
Provide opportunities to the experts to meet to exchange their notes and to further refine, improve and strengthen their
learning. For example, the students with the name "A" in all the groups shall meet and discuss their work and understanding
of the topic on the life and achievements of Akbar. The "experts" on the other components shall meet separately to further
enrich their knowledge on concerned components. vi) Ask the experts (students) to return to their original group and teach
the component of their specialization. Each member of the group shall teach the component of his/her specialization to the
other students. vii) Monitor students as they teach their topics to the other members of the group. viii) Administer a test
covering all components of the topic. Teaching Learning Strategies ix) Score the test and determine the improvement points
in respect of each student. x) Provide feedback to the groups about their performance and reward team achievements
 AMITY INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION
Group Project Work
In many respects group project work resembles group investigation but there are some dissimilarities also. In the group
investigation the focus is less on content goals and more on enquiry skills, whereas in the group project work, students
work in groups to accomplish some task or perform an activity. The underlying assumption is that students will understand
each other and pick up interpersonal skills when they are provided opportunities to work together in small groups for some
time. The implementation of this strategy involves the following phases: i. Selection of the project: To begin with, you
discuss with the students the possibility of undertaking some project. After discussing various alternatives, one major
project or few small projects for execution may be selected. For example, organization of science exhibition, celebration
of some day (human rights day, teachers' day, friendship day, annual day, etc), organization of youth parliament,
organization of poetical symposium, publication of class or school magazines, may be considered for selection as group
projects. ii. Organizational In case a major project has been selected, it may be split into subprojects and a group may be
assigned the responsibility to take care of one aspect of the major project within each group, ask individual members to
accept the responsibility for specific tasks. In addition ensure that each group decides the phasing, time budgeting and
resources required in respect of the specific task assigned to it. iii. Execution: After the completion of detailed planning,
students get engaged in the execution of the project. Make yourself readily available to all the students for consultation
and solving their problems, if any. Keep a watch on the participation and contribution of each student and monitor
progress of each group. Impress upon the group leaders to see that all the students participate enthusiastically to complete
the project on time. - . iv. Evaluation: After completion of the project, make all the groups to meet in the plenary session to
take stock of their achievements, weaknesses or failures. They may point out the flaws, if any, in the selection, planning or
execution of the project. They may also discuss the lessons they might have learnt and the points they would like to keep
in mind at the time of execution of some other similar project in future. You may also ask them to think how they would
execute the project if they were called upon to attempt it again.
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ADVANTAGES OF COOPERATIVE LEARNING
A number of research studies conducted in real classroom situations have revealed that cooperative learning
strategies have positive impact on the quality of students' learning as well as on the quality of their interpersonal
behaviour. A few advantages of these strategies are given below: These strategies generally yield superior
academic achievement when compared with traditional whole class or individualized instruction. This is
perhaps because of the fact that these strategies make the students active learners and also make learning
interesting and enjoyable for them. Cooperative learning strategies are especially useful for the development of
inquiry skills, creative thinking and critical thinking abilities. These strategies help the students to develop self
study skills such as locating necessary references and collecting requisite information from different sources
such as reference books, documents, journals, newspapers and knowledgeable persons. This is essential for
making the students life long learners. These strategies help in raising the level of self esteem and confidence of
students. The students who are generally reluctant to articulate in the whole class, overcome their inhibitions in
small groups because the general atmosphere in such groups is nonthreatening. Moreover, the positive feedback
about their achievements and success raises the level of their confidence and self esteem. Cooperative learning
strategies help to bring about attitudinal change among students. It has been observed that working along with
students of different religious, ethnic or caste groups in small groups or teams plays an important role in
bringing about attitudinal change. This leads to reduction in inter-ethnic conflicts and establishment of cross
social friendships. Cooperative learning strategies help the students to improve their communication skills. The
students get ample opportunities to raise questions and hold discussions in the groups. They also get
opportunities to prepare reports and present the same in the whole group
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FORMATION OF GROUPS
Working in small groups is the essential feature of all cooperative learning strategies. You are
expected to help and guide students in the formation of right types of groups so as to achieve the
desired results. It has been observed that type of group composition has a bearing on students'
learning. You can use cooperative learning and can assess its impact on learning. In the context of
ability levels, the groups can be homogeneous and heterogeneous. In a homogeneous group all
members of the group are of the same ability or attainment level: high, average or low. In the
heterogeneous group students of different ability levels are included. Grouping on the basis of
ability levels alone is attempted if the primary learning goal is the enhancement of students'
attainments. However, if behaviour modification, attitudinal change, and social cohesion are also
the goals, students belonging to different religions, castes, ethnic groups should be included in a
group. It is advisable not to form permanent groups in a class. The composition of the group should
be determined keeping in view the demands of the learning task in hand. Each student should get
an opportunity to work with a large number of students in several groups. This will increase the
possibility of working with all types of students in the class. You are further expected to ensure that
all groups function in a democratic manner. Students should be encouraged to elect their own group
leader and to decide the procedure for conducting group work to complete the assigned learning
task.
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TEACHER'S ROLE IN COOPERATIVE LEARNING

In cooperative learning, you as a teacher have to perform an important role. Let us discuss your role
in planning and organising cooperative learning. i. To begin with, you have to identify learning tasks
and fix learning goals for cooperative learning. The nature of learning tasks should be in tune with
the scope of cooperative learning strategies. For example, in group investigation, a suitable problem
needs to be identified, in team games tournaments, a game or a quiz shall have to be devised and in-
group project work, some activity to be performed shall have to be decided. The major problem or
project should be split into specific tasks to be assigned to different groups. ii. After identification of
the problem, you have to divide the class into groups. The size and composition of the groups should
be decided keeping in view the learning goals. iii. You are expected to take all the steps necessary to
facilitate the work of groups. Besides making suitable seating arrangement you should make
available necessary material like maps, charts, magazines, newspapers, etc to the students. The
sources of information gathering should also be made known to the students. iv. You should
continuously monitor and supervise the functioning of different groups. When the groups are
working separately, you should move from group to group to provide on the spot guidance to the
groups, if required. The groups facing some problem should be helped to overcome the same.
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v. After completion of the group work, organize the plenary session where different groups
shall share their experience and present the report of the work done by them. You shall
provide feedback to the groups for further improvement in the quality of their work.
Teaching Learning Strategies vi. An important task of the teacher is to evaluate the
performance of each student to ascertain the extent of improvement in their learning and to
decide improvement points, rewards, etc. While helping the teachers for the implementation
of cooperative learning strategies, experts have identified four potential problem areas:
noise, failure to get along, misbehaviour and ineffective use of group time (Kagan, 1994,
and Slavin, 1995). You can devise appropriate strategies to overcome these problems. For
example, the students can be provided training to keep the noise level to a minimum. The
students may be encouraged to practise talking in whispering tone. You should take care to
enforce the rule that students must treat each other with courtesy and respect. To check
misbehaviour, you shall do well to monitor the groups by moving around the room and
helping individual groups. You are further expected to ensure that each group makes full use
of the available time and wastes no time on irrelevant and extraneous activities