StephanieC



Chapter 7 of the Marzano provides many useful tools for the implementation of cooperative learning in the classroom. The first focus of the text is on the 5 Key Components of Cooperative Learning which include:
 * 1)  a postive interdependence among students - "we're all in it together"
 * 2) individual and group accountability - each person has a job for which they are responsible and the group is responsible for assuring that all work is completed
 * 3) group processing - "How are we doing as a group?"
 * 4) interpersonal and small group social skills - communication, decision making, and conflict resolution
 * 5) face-to-face promotive interaction. - helping each other, applauding success and effort

Due to the need for actor interaction in the theater arts world, I find that I frequently use cooperative learning. The use of think-pair-share activities or "turn-to-your-neighbor" quick discussions are often used as a means of activating prior knowledge. These are what Marzano calls informal groupings. I use formal groupings when more time must be dedicated to an activity. I use heterogenous groupings, mixing all ability levels together, using multiples means such as clothes color, birthday, number of pets, and more. This provides students with a chance to work with a variety of people instead of their best friends. Groupings are small, usually 2-4 people. Each member is given a task, usually on a rotating schedule. For example, in an activity meant to explore vocal inflection, students are divided into groups of 3 by the number of pets that they have. One student is assigned the role of recorder and the others are the performers. As the performers are deciding how they plan to perform the given task of using the voice to express a particular statement, the recorder makes a note of the emotion that was chosen. At the conclusion of each groups' performance, the group discusses 2 things they liked about their performance and 1 thing that they would change based on their observations of other groups. Then the roles switch. We have a new recorder and a new pairing of actors. This activity works well as it incorporates all key components as listed above.

Sometimes, however, cooperative learning is not effective. There are many situations that may be causing this. The teacher plays a very big role when it comes to the implementation of cooperative learning. First, all 5 of the key components must be incorporated so that students can consistently self-monitor. Also, the teacher must continuously monitor the group sizes. Groups that are too large will be cause students to get in each other's way and work to not be completed successfully. Marzano recommmends groups of 3 or 4. Cooperative learning is often overused. This may keep students from having enough time for independent practice, or in some cases, may ultimately cause students to get sick of each other. In both cases, the learning process is hindered. A quick solve to the overuse of cooperative learning is partnering it with other strategies, such as individualized projects or the use of graphic organizers.

For more information on using cooperative learning in the classroom, click here > [|Cooperative Learning]