Cooperative Learning

Cooperative learning is a branch of the constructivist learning approach. The students are the focus and the base of the lesson, and they work as a team to develop the material and information presented by the teacher. The cooperative learning, as its name states, is a method of teaching that includes constructivist views, and focuses on the development of intrapersonal and interpersonal skills. Cooperative learning, even though its base is constructivist, has specific techniques and goals which should be included in the lesson plan. The most important intention of the collaborative learning method is for the students to have a good base to work with, meaning that they will be clear about what is expected from them, but at the same time, they are going to be exposed to challenges and conflicts, which they will learn to work out as a group, and as individuals. It is important to divide the class into small groups for the reason that students learn from each other, and also learn from themselves. The groups should be small enough to give every member the opportunity and responsibility to contribute substantially to the development of the project. The participation of every individual is crucial in this type of learning method. The skills that progress and improve with this type of learning include, but are not limited to active participation in debates, and problem-solving situations, respect for diversity and opinions of other group members, and value self-expression, and the involvement of the students in their own learning progress. This method is celebrated in many ways, and also gives the opportunity for students to go beyond their own abilities, and for teachers to value much more the students’ participation in the learning process.