The summer after my first year of
teaching, I attended two Kagan Cooperative Learning workshops. From that time
on, Cooperative Learning became essential in my approach to teaching. The
biggest challenge for me, though, was the decision to seat my students in teams
full time.
I
finally took a leap of faith at the beginning of the 2011-12 school year: I
traded my desks for tables. I started this venture with some doubts and fear
but was convinced that it was in my students’ best interest. Within a few
months, I was sold on tables, and based on my students’ feedback, so were they.
Here are the pros and cons we observed:
BENEFITS
Management: Once the physical space was set up for
cooperative learning, I spent much less time in transition between teacher
talk, solo work, and structured interaction. Also, because students knew their
team number and their individual numbers on each team, it was easy to give
efficient instructions to assign roles and delegate tasks.
Community: Students who were seated at the same table
built relationships that made the class a better learning environment. Because
I had my students grouped heterogeneously, they were also a great academic
support system for each other.
Neatness: One unexpected benefit was the cleanliness
of my classroom. With nowhere for students to stash trash or leave papers, my
room looked as neat at the end of each day as it did at the beginning.
CHALLENGES
Talking: Students looking at peers across the table
made them want to talk.
TIP: Begin the year with clear guidelines about when it’s
okay to talk and when it’s not, and remind students of your expectations
frequently. Still, this is no
easy-to-solve problem. As with any other behavioral issue, hold your students
accountable to the standards you’ve set, and be prepared to make a few phone
calls home if needed.
Lone Rangers: Some students just preferred working alone—tables
were a stretch for them.
TIP: Build in social skills to help them learn how to
collaborate with peers, but honor their need for solo time by letting them move
to a quiet spot on occasion.
For me,
making the change to tables was the final step in creating a cooperative
classroom. The payoff was exactly what I had hoped it would be: closer knit
classes of engaged students.
