Success
& Cooperative Learning: How Do They Relate?
by Alicia Moore, SPS Professional Learning Specialist
This August, I ran into a former
student at Wal-Mart. In my freshman English class, Caleb was a kid who never
seemed to buy in to the idea of school—who expertly calculated the minimum
effort required to pass my class. He only made eye contact in fleeting glances,
never raised his hand to answer a question, and generally went unnoticed by his
peers.
When
I think of him, though, I think first of his sincerity and genuine smile. I saw
this smile fairly often during his conversations with Aiden, another
under-the-radar kind of student in the class. The two boys talked before class,
after class, and during class as often as I’d let them. Even after their
freshman year, Caleb and Aiden would stop by my room to say hi, always
together. I would ask them how they were doing in their classes, and both of
them always said something like, “Oh, you know, getting by.”
At Wal-Mart last summer, Caleb proudly
told me that he was working on becoming a certified H-VAC technician. I asked
him about Aiden, and then I said something about how valuable life-long
friendships are. Caleb said, “Yeah, and we met in your class! We’d never even
talked to each other before you put us on the same team.”
Maybe Caleb and Aiden would have
become friends no matter what. I’m guessing, though, that their friendship took
root because I was using a strategy that I had learned the summer before they
arrived in my classroom—Cooperative Learning. My intuition also tells me that their
friendship was a key motivator in getting both of them to school each day. Research
backs me up:
-According
to Visible Learning for Teachers (Hattie,
2012), healthy peer relationships improve academic success through feedback,
practice opportunities, and emotional support. One study cited in the book sums
it up this way: “…if you want to increase student academic achievement, give
each student a friend” (p. 79).
-Eric
Jensen (2009), a leader in the brain-based learning movement, agrees. He
writes, “Students who know, trust, and cooperate with one another typically do
better academically”(p. 92).
-Both
of these sources recommend Cooperative Learning as a way to support student
relationships and achievement.
Think
about the Calebs and Aidens in your class this year. How might they benefit
from Teambuilders and Classbuilders that allow them to safely interact with
classmates? How might they grow as a result of social skills being embedded
throughout each lesson? How might their interpersonal and academic skills
improve in a classroom where they feel like they can’t hide? Where they are
treated as equal status?
I encourage you to make your class a
place where life-changing relationships can thrive and all students can find
the support they need to succeed in school. And I am confident that Cooperative
Learning is what made my class that kind of place for Caleb and Aiden.
Hattie,
John. (2012). Visible learning for
teachers: Maximizing impact on learning. New York, NY: Routledge.
Jensen,
Eric. (2009). Teaching with poverty in
mind. Alexandria, VA: ASCD.
___________________________________________________________
LET YOUR
FINGERS DO THE WALKING!
Interested in some tools that will foster healthy peer relationships in your class? Here's a quick guide to resources you can find in your Kagan Cooperative Learning book and binder.
If you haven't yet had the opportunity to attend a 3-day Cooperative Learning course, we invite you to join us for our next offering which will be held on January 25, February 8 and February 22. Please contact Alicia Moore (acmoore@spsmail.org) or Debbie Yonke (dyonke@spsmail.org) for more details. Registration is available through Employee Self Service.