It is a common sight to see a teacher standing in front of the white board, giving explanations. Occasionally, some topics do require such a teacher-centered lesson.
They can neither remember nor recall the teachings of the day. How can this boredom be beaten?
Cooperative learning is one effective classroom practice to make the lessons attractive and learners active. Interaction is key to any form of learning. Cooperative learning allows students to interact constructively in small groups to complete a structured task.
Cooperative learning is a learning style that promotes the four core skills: cooperation through team effort, communication through face-to-face interactions, critical thinking and creativity through reasoning and problem solving. Teachers are no longer the only source of information. The success of an assignment is dependent on combined efforts. Each member assigned a specific role or task must contribute to the completion of the team assignment to ensure equal distribution of labour.
However, cooperative learning is not always smooth sailing. One main struggle would be personality conflicts. If passive and shy students are paired with perfectionists, the latter may end up dominating to the point of ruling out their chicken teammates. The tendency to communicate just amongst themselves will lead to the shy students being left out, putting them at a disadvantage again. It shapes students to become active learners. Indeed, a constant cooperative learning environment equips young minds to become successful grown-ups in an increasingly diverse and interdependent world.
| A. Individual responsibility is equally important too. B. With teachers' help, students can understand them better. C. However, if it is a daily routine, pupils will soon get bored. D. Students in groups of three or four work together to do a task. E. Another obstacle occurs when certain members are well familiar. F. In this way, lively participation and a better mastery of the subject are achieved. G. Although cooperative learning has some problems, its long term benefits outweigh problems. |
