What is Cooperative Learning?

Cooperative learning is a pedagogical method in which students work together on a shared or

common goal, such as solving a math problem, in such a way that the outcome is a joint effort
involving the efforts of all of the group members. True cooperative learning involves
interdependence between the group members in such a way that the students learn together
and each student learns the material better than if they had worked alone. The groups should
be small enough so that everyone can participate (usually from two to five students, depending
on the task). In order to have effective cooperative learning, the following key concepts are
needed:

Positive Interdependence exists when students believe that they are linked with others in a
way that one cannot succeed unless the other members of the group succeed (and vice versa).
Each student plays a unique part, and the group cannot accomplish its goal without each
person’s efforts. Students are working together to get the job done. Without the help of each
member the group is not able to reach the desired goal. Activities are structured so that
students need each other in order to accomplish their goal. In a problem-solving session,
positive interdependence is structured by group members (1) agreeing on the answer and
solution strategies for each problem (goal interdependence) and (2) fulfilling assigned role
responsibilities (role interdependence). One of the methods of securing the interdependence is
to hand out poker chips to each member. When they participate in a discussion, they must use
a poker chip. Every member must use all of his or her poker chips; when all the chips are used,
the member cannot speak again until everyone else has used up his or her chips as well.
Another approach could be to assign each member a part of the lesson, and he or she must
secure the other parts of the lesson from the other teammates. The team interdependence
keeps one person from taking over and helps to eliminate individuals from dropping out. Other
ways of structuring positive interdependence include having common rewards, being dependent
on each other’s resources, or a division of labor.

Face-to-Face Promotive Interaction exists among students when students orally explain to
each other how to solve problems, discuss with each other the nature of the concepts and
strategies being learned, teach their knowledge to classmates, and explain to each other the
connections between present and past learning. This face-to-face interaction is promotive in the
sense that students help, assist, encourage, and support each other’s efforts to learn. Each
student promotes the success of group members by praising, encouraging, supporting, or
assisting each other.

Individual Accountability / Personal Responsibility requires the teacher to ensure that the
performance of each individual student is assessed. The group needs to know who needs more
assistance in completing the assignment and group members need to know they cannot “hitch-
hike” on the work of others. Each person must be held responsible for his or her participation
and performance. This can be accomplished by assigning roles. The Jigsaw structure is an
effective method. Common ways to structure individual accountability include keeping group
size small, giving an individual exam to each student, examining students orally by randomly
calling on one student to present his or her group’s work, having members edit each other’s
work, observing each group, recording the frequency with which each member contributes,
having students teach what they know to someone else, having students use what they have
learned on a different problem, assigning 1 student in each group the role of checker, who then
asks other group members to explain the reasoning and rationale underlying the groups answer,
and having students teach what they have learned to someone else. .
Collaborative or Social Skills are necessary for effective group functioning. Cooperative
learning groups set the stage for students to learn social skills. These skills help to build
stronger cooperation among group members. Leadership, decision-making, trust-building, and
communication are different skills that are developed in cooperative learning. These skills have
to be taught just as purposefully and precisely as academic skills. Many students have never
worked cooperatively in learning situations and, therefore, lack the needed social skills for doing
so. Teachers need to identify and model these skills. Then, these skills need to be
incorporated into activities so that students can practice and evaluate them.
See Johnson (1990,1991) and Johnson & F. Johnson (1991)

Group Processing involves a group discussion of how well they are achieving their goals and
how well they are maintaining effective working relationships among members. By reviewing
group behavior the students and the teacher get a chance to discuss special needs or problems
within the group. Groups get a chance to express their feelings about beneficial and unhelpful
aspects of the group learning process in order to correct unwanted behavior and celebrate
successful outcomes in the group work. One such possibility is the following: At the end of their
working period the groups process their functioning by answering two questions: (1) What is
something each member did that was helpful for the group and (2) What is something each
member could do to make the group even better tomorrow? Such processing enables learning
groups to focus on group maintenance, facilities the learning of collaborative skills, ensures that
members receive feedback on their participation, and reminds students to practice collaborative
skills consistently. In addition, each person needs to evaluate his or her own participation and
performance. This can be done through a journal, checklist, survey, and/or rating scale.
Structuring cooperation among groups – Specifying desired behaviors:
1. Have each member explain how to arrive at the answer.
2. Ask each member to relate what is being learned to previous information learned.
3. Check to make sure everyone in the group understands the material and agrees with the
answers
4. Encourage everyone to participate
5. Listen accurately to what other group members are saying
6. Do not change your mind unless you are logically persuaded.
7. Criticize ideas, not people.

A working definition of cooperative learning is the use of small groups through which students
work together to maximize their own and each other's learning.
Example: a team-based project with grades based on the performance of the team.

In contrast, a definition for competitive learning would be:

Students work against each other in order to achieve an academic goal (such as a high grade)
that only one, or very few, students can attain.
Examples: Most high school and college classes; grading on a "curve;" class rankings based
on GPA.

Finally, there's individualistic learning:

Students work by themselves to accomplish learning goals unrelated to those of other students.
Example: A self-directed learning project such as investing in stocks.
The differences and similarities between traditional learning and cooperative learning groups
can be summarized like this:
Traditional Learning Groups
Responsibility only for oneself
No interdependence
No individual accountability
Social skills assumed
Teacher is primary resource
Teacher intervenes
One appointed leader
No group processing
Top priority: get the job done
Cooperative Learning Groups
Responsibility for each other
Positive interdependence
Individual accountability
Social skills taught & reinforced
Students are the major resource
Teacher interacts
Shared leadership
Effective group processing
Top priority: get the job done, have fun,
enjoy each other

“Cooperative learning is a strategy designed to help students maximize their own and other
classmates' learning. This strategy makes use of small groups and students working together
as a team. The team approach has proven successful not just for learning in college
classrooms, but also in the workplace, in community activities, and even in the home. The
cooperative learning team uses specific techniques to make sure everyone in the group meets
the defined goals. NOBODY gets to slack off, and no member of the group gets stuck with all
the work.” Taken from istudy.psu.edu/.../CooperativeLearn/CoopLearnInfo.htm

Sources: Johnson, D. W., R. T. Johnson, and K. A. Smith. 1991. Active Learning: Cooperation
in the college classroom. Edina, MN: Interaction Book Company
Slavin, Robert. 1981. “Synthesis of Research on Cooperative Learning,” Educational
Leadership. (February).
Handouts from Neil Davidson, CLUME conference, July 10 – 25, 1995.
(Neil Davidson is Professor of Curriculum and Instruction at the University of Maryland at
College Park)