Cooperative grouping is a
strategy teachers can incorporate to encourage their students to learn
together. Groups are given a task to
complete with their teammates as they work towards a common goal. I could use this strategy in writing when
teaching my 4th grade students how to revise their writing pieces to
ensure their writing is meeting our learning goal.
The
standard addressed in this activity is: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences
or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event
sequences. My students will be working
on revising their writing to ensure they are meeting the goal of using
effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
The activity will follow the following steps:
1. Students
will be put into four groups of six. I would form mixed ability, or
heterogeneous groups. My students sit in
six groups of four and each student has a number 1-4 at each group. I would have the students get into groups
based on these numbers. This
grouping would benefit interpersonal learners who learn best by interacting
with others. Group activities are
especially beneficial for this type of learner.
2.
Each student will bring a piece of writing to share
with their group. The writing will not
be revised and it does not have to be a fully finished piece.
3.
Each student will take a turn reading their writing to
their group.
4.
The other students will listen intently to the
writing. They can bring a piece of paper
and a pencil to take notes while they listen.
5.
Each student will ask the writer a question about their
writing.
6.
The writer will respond to the questions. This will
help them know what possible revisions need to be made to their writing piece.
7.
Once they have met in their small groups, students will
go back to their desk and will have the opportunity to make revisions to their
writing based on their peers’ questions. Working independently will benefit
intrapersonal learners who tend to shy away from others and work best on their
own.
8.
After they have worked independently on their writing
students will meet in their reading groups.
Their reading groups are homogeneous groups of a similar reading level. There
are four students in each group. Each
student will again share their writing piece and what revisions they made to
their first draft. Students will have
the opportunity to give each other feedback and ask questions or give
suggestions for further revisions. I
will meet with the lowest level group to help guide their discussion and
participate in the feedback process. Having another opportunity to read aloud
their writing and receive feedback will benefit linguistic learners who prefer
to learn through speaking and often think in words.
Cooperative learning is only
beneficial if the students are set up to efficiently work in groups
together. Robert Slavin recommends
implementing the following five strategies for successful cooperative learning:
form independent teams, set group goals, ensure individual accountability,
teach communication and problem-solving skills, and integrate cooperative
learning with other structures (2014). It is crucial that groups know what their goal
is in order for them to work effectively on their own. I would have a chart with the three goals of
their writing posted on the board for students to use a reference. For this lesson, grouping my students by
heterogeneous groups first allows students who are not advanced in writing to hear their peer’s writing who are more advanced and know what grade level
writing looks like. Having a variety of ways to group my students helps
increase their access to content material. Students can help each other reach
the writing standard by asking for clarity if the sequence is not clear or
suggesting more details are added to the piece.
Students are able to work
independently to think about the feedback they received and make revisions
before sharing their writing again in a homogeneous group. As I walk around and observe these groups, I
can provide intervention and suggestions to the small groups that the whole
class may not need, or I can challenge my higher academic group to extend their
thinking.
Cooperative grouping allows for
differentiation and thus increases student performance. In homogeneous learning groups, activities can
be modified to meet group needs both in the learning activities and teacher
instruction. When students are taught at
their level and in their preferred learning style, they have better access to
the material and are better able to learn. In heterogeneous cooperative
learning groups, lower performing students and ELLs can improve their literary
and academic skills as their classmate’s model proficient work and language
during the activities. Working in groups
can also improve student’s self-esteem and motivation to learn. When students are able to share ideas in a
small group first, it helps them have confidence to share with others
afterward. All cooperative grouping
encourages cooperation among students and teaches students to work as a team
to reach their goal.
The benefits of cooperative group learning prove the
value in implementing this strategy as often as possible. My goal is to purposefully group students so
all students will participate and benefit from learning with their peers. The activities should be structured in a way
that encourages all students to participate while striving to meet a clear
learning goal. Students who are able to learn in cooperative
environments will know how to effectively communicate and collaborate in the
future.
Reference
Slavin, R. E. (2014). Making
cooperative learning powerful. Retrieved August 14, 2016,
from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational- leadership/oct14/vol72/num02/Making-Cooperative-Learning-Powerful.aspx
No comments:
Post a Comment