Cooperative Learning { Applied } by Xaris Villa

transcript

MOTIVATINGSTUDENTST H R O U G H

COOPERATIVELEARNING

Teaching Scenario

• P.5 Class (Ability: Average)• Reading motivation is low. • No interest in content of reader (i.e. wolves and bears)• Unfamiliar text type (informational report)• Ability to search for information is inadequate.• Students have no confidence in writing something

they have never written before.• When working in groups: student participation and

involvement is erratic.

SolutionsFrom Cooperative Learning

Approach

PositiveInterdependence

IndividualAccountability

GroupProcessing

SocialSkills

FACE to face Interaction

Classroom Set Up(Get the students to face each other!)

Classroom Set Up(the focus on groups becomes more obvious)

• Plan Group Activities

• Give Freedom for Groups.

• Reward in groups.

Classroom Set Up(change the seating of a “regular classroom”)

ExamplesHow I have applied the Cooperative Learning

Approach to my own teaching

Lesson 1:Scavenger Hunt Activity

• I made these information cards (interesting information) and placed them randomly along the “P.5” corridor.

• Students had to work in groups to find as much information as they could about wolves and bears during their recesses.

A pup is a baby wolf.

Bears need to eat a lot of food so that they can get fat.They can eat almost 40 pounds (18 kg) of food

everyday.

Wolves and Bears Scavenger Hunt!

• Students decide in their groups who will look for wolf facts and bear facts cards (so that they can find more).

• They then collated the information they found.

Scavenger Hunt ActivityWolves and Bears Scavenger Hunt!• I also did this ‘hunt’ in my classroom. • Scavenger Hunt video will be uploaded

later.

THE RESULTS:• Students had a lot of fun and did not realize

that all the while, they were reading and researching already.

• This “fun” experience will hopefully motivate them when it comes time for them to research for their own report.

• Information retention was amazing (see next slide).

Lesson 2:True or False using a “Magic Board”

• Last Week: Found information about wolves and bears (as a group)

• This Week: Group “True or false” tested how much information they remembered and understood.

• They had to rely on each other to answer (because not everybody looked for information on wolves / bears).

True or False using a “Magic Board”

• I gave only one magic board for each group.

• We assigned a “writer” (the “leader”)

• Classmates gave him suggestions.

• All the students took turns in being the “writer” (leader)

Teach kids social skills

• There were disputes amongst the children (over the answer or the magic board).

• So, we taught them how to “argue” without fighting.

SocialSkills

I think the answer is

How do you know

that?I think so too!

I also remember finding that information

Lesson 3:Jigsaw Reading

• helps make reading less of a heavy load for children.

Group 1P.13 - 14

Group 2P.16-17

Group 3P.18 - 20

Group 4P.23 - 24

Group 5P.25 - 27

Group 6P.28 - 29

Group 7P.30 - 32

Group 8P.33 - 34

RetellingStudents have to retell the major events that happened in their assigned pages.

Use different coloured pensI made sure my students knew WHY I was asking them to use different pens.

I used this technique in P.6 as well.

Use different coloured pensI made sure my students knew WHY I was asking them to use different pens.

Project Work

• The next step in the “Wolves and Bears” Unit is a Process Writing Project where the students have to write a report on an animal of their choosing.

• Groups will be able to choose their animal, do research, illustrate, make drafts and their report will be “published”.

• In the end, groups will be able to reflect on the effectiveness of their group and even give marks to their classmates for “helpfulness”.

GroupProcessing

Cooperative Learning { Applied } by Xaris Villa

Education