Crash Course to Cooperative Learning

By Mrs. Henny Bartfield

Mrs. Henny Bartfield is a veteran educator, teacher trainer and coach, and the author and creative director of the Project TOMiM social-emotional curriculum. This guide to cooperative learning is excerpted from the Project Tomim Unit 4 introduction. For more information, visit mymef.org/projecttomim. 

Do you want to incorporate more cooperative learning into your classroom this year? Cooperative learning is a skill like any other, that can be learned through practice in bite sized opportunities, building the necessary skills for both teacher and student.

The benefits of learning this skill are many. Cooperative learning is a structured approach that gives students the opportunity to learn from one another while practicing real life skills of collaboration and communication. When students explain their reasoning, listen to different perspectives, reconsider their thinking, and work together toward a decision, they are actively processing and applying their learning. Group learning has also been shown to increase student engagement, another benefit. There are as many reasons to jump into cooperative learning as there are ways to put into practice in your classroom, in the way that best works for you! 

Group Work vs. Cooperative Learning

Simply placing students into groups does not automatically create cooperative learning. Without structure, one student may take over, another may remain quiet, and others may divide the work without ever engaging with one another’s thinking.

Effective cooperative learning is intentionally structured so that everyone thinks, everyone contributes, and everyone is prepared to explain.

A well planned cooperative learning activity incorporates several elements that support this:

• A Shared Task Students work toward a common goal or decision rather than simply completing separate tasks beside one another.
• Individual Accountability Every student is responsible for understanding the group’s work. Roles, participation structures, and opportunities for any student to be called upon help ensure that the thinking is shared rather than carried by one or two students.
• Positive Interdependence Students learn that each member has something to contribute. The group is stronger when students listen to one another, share ideas, and build on one another’s thinking.
• Structured Participation Roles, routines, materials, and clear directions give students a framework for working together productively.
• Reasoning and Explanation Students are expected not only to give an answer, but to explain the thinking behind it. The quality of the reasoning is often as important as the answer itself.

Grouping Students

Successful cooperative learning begins before students start the activity. Different activities may call for different group compositions, and no single grouping method is best for every workshop. Whenever possible, determine a) which kinds of grouping to use and b) the actual group composition before the lesson, so that students can transition quickly and smoothly. 

Heterogeneous Groups

Heterogeneous groups bring together students with different strengths, abilities, experiences, or perspectives. These groups are particularly effective for activities that benefit from discussion, problem solving, brainstorming, and multiple points of view.

When intentionally creating heterogeneous groups, consider the skills the task requires. Depending on the activity, you may want to distribute students with strengths in areas such as verbal expression, reading, writing, problem solving, organization, creativity, or leadership across the groups.

The goal is not for stronger students to complete the task for others. Each student should have an opportunity and a responsibility to contribute.

Homogeneous Groups

Homogeneous groups bring together students with a similar level of readiness, skill, or understanding.

This grouping can be useful when a task requires a particular level of skill or when you want to differentiate the amount of support, complexity, or challenge provided to different groups. Students can work at an appropriate pace while the teacher provides targeted guidance where it is needed.

Homogeneous groups should be flexible and task specific. A student’s grouping for one activity does not need to determine their grouping for another.

Random Groups

Not every activity requires the teacher to deliberately compose groups. Random grouping can be particularly useful when the task is accessible to all students and benefits from varied interactions and perspectives. It also gives students opportunities to interact with different classmates than usual.

There are many grouping tools that can be used to form groups quickly and efficiently. For example, teachers may use color coded pickup sticks, pairing cards, or triad cards. These same tools can be distributed randomly when the composition of the groups does not matter or intentionally when the teacher wants to create particular groups.

Group With Intention

Let the goal of the task determine the grouping strategy.

Before a workshop, consider:

• Does this activity benefit from a range of strengths and perspectives?
• Does it require students to have a similar level of readiness or skill?
• Does the task require particular strengths to be represented within each group?
• Is there a reason to intentionally place or separate particular students?
• Or is this an activity in which random grouping will work just as well?

As for group size, when no specific size is required, pairs, triads, and groups of four generally provide the greatest opportunity for every student to participate.

How to Use Grouping Tools

Here are examples of several simple tools to help teachers form groups quickly. Each tool can be used either randomly or intentionally, depending on the purpose of the activity:

• For random grouping, mix and distribute the cards or sticks without regard to who receives which one
• For intentional grouping, decide the groups in advance and distribute the matching pieces to the students you want grouped together. 

Color Coded Pickup Sticks

Use different colored pickup sticks to form groups. Give each student a stick; students with the same color form a group.

Pairing Cards

Pairing Cards are matching sets of numbers and Hebrew letters. One student receives a number and finds the student holding its corresponding Hebrew letter. For example, the student holding 1 pairs-up with the student holding א, the student holding 2 pairs with ב, and so on. Prepare one card per student. 

Triad Cards

Triad Cards are matching sets designed to create groups of three. Each triad represents the same value in three different ways: a number, its corresponding Hebrew letter, and the same number of triangles.

For example, the students holding 1, א, and △ form one triad; the students holding 2, ב, and △△ form another; and the students holding 3, ג, and △△△ form another.

Grouping Cards

Grouping Cards are color coded sets designed to create groups of four or five. Each color set contains numbered cards of the same color. Choose how many cards of each color to make based on the number of students you would like to be in each group. Students find the classmates whose cards have the same color to form their group.

Allow approximately two minutes for students to find their partners or group members and move into place.  

The Teacher’s  Role: From Instructor to Facilitator

During cooperative learning, the role of the teacher shifts from instructor to facilitator. Once students understand the task, the teacher is meant to step back enough to allow students to do the thinking while the teacher circulates among groups. The teacher walks around the room with intention:  Listening to conversations, redirecting and probing when necessary.  The teacher takes note of who  is participating, how students are reasoning, and where a group may need support. The teacher supports learning by asking questions that move the students’ thinking forward, rather than immediately providing the answer.

For example:

• What makes you think that?
• Which part of the situation helped you decide?
• Does anyone see it differently?
• Could another answer also make sense?
• Which choice fits best? Why?
• Can someone build on that idea?
• Who has not had a chance to share yet?
• Can someone explain the group’s reasoning in a different way?

When students struggle, resist the urge to solve the problem for them too quickly. A productive pause, disagreement, or uncertainty can be an important part of the learning process. Use a guiding question to help students identify their next step without solving the problem for them. 

Groups will not always work at the same pace. If a group finishes early, encourage students to revisit their reasoning, consider another possible answer, or make sure every member can explain the group’s decision rather than immediately moving them ahead. 

Cooperative Learning Practice Activity

Students are not automatically skilled at cooperative learning. Students may need practice learning to:

• listen without interrupting.
• explain an idea rather than simply state an answer.
• ask a classmate to explain their thinking.
• disagree with an idea without criticizing the person.
• invite quieter members of the group to contribute.
• build on someone else’s idea.
• reconsider their own thinking when they hear a strong argument.
• reach a decision even when the group does not initially agree.

These skills need to be modeled, taught, and practiced. Before diving into cooperative learning, make the expectations for group interaction explicit. Model these behaviors when necessary and reinforce them as students work.

Laying the Groundwork

Before beginning the first cooperative workshop, take a few minutes to establish with students what successful group work looks like and sounds like. This gives students a shared picture of what is expected and provides language you can refer back to throughout the unit.

Draw a T chart on the board or on chart paper with the following headings: (If you use a smartboard or transfer the chart to a slide, you can easily revisit it during cooperative learning activities throughout the year. )

Successful group work

Looks like …  Sounds like…..

Ask students:

“If we walked into a group that was working really well together, what would we see?”

Invite students to generate ideas and record their responses on the chart. If important behaviors or language are missing, guide the discussion with questions or examples. The completed chart should include ideas such as the following: 

LOOKS Like…

• Everyone is participating.
• Students are listening when someone else speaks.
• Materials are being shared.
• Students are taking turns.
• No one is being left out.
• The group is focused on the task.

Then ask: What would we hear?”

SOUNDS Like…

• “I think _____ because…”
• “What makes you think that?”
• “I agree with _____ because…”
• “I see it differently because…”
• “Can you explain what you mean?”
• “We haven’t heard from _____ yet.”
• “Another possibility could be…”
• “Let’s look at the situation again.”

Explain that good group work does not mean that everyone immediately agrees. Good groups listen, explain, question, and sometimes disagree as they work toward a decision.

Practicing Cooperative Learning

Before using these skills with lesson content, give students an opportunity to practice with a simple, low stakes challenge.

Divide students into random groups by location in the classroom.

Say the following example: 

“Imagine your group is going on a camping trip. You can bring only three things along. Decide together which three things are most important. Everyone must contribute at least one idea before the group makes its decision.”

Give groups two or three minutes to discuss.

As students work, circulate and observe how they are working rather than focusing on the choices they make.

Then bring the class back together and ask:

“What did someone in your group do that helped your group work well?”

Invite students to identify specific behaviors they noticed:

• Someone asked me what I thought.
• We didn’t choose until everyone had a turn.
• Someone disagreed but explained why.
• We changed our answer after someone gave us a better reason.

Connect their observations back to the Looks Like, Sounds Like chart.

If students need additional practice, repeat the challenge with a new question and one specific cooperative goal:

“This time, make sure everyone shares an idea before your group makes a decision,” or, “This time, listen for someone else’s idea that you can build on.”

Keep the Looks Like, Sounds Like chart visible on the classroom wall or screen during cooperative learning. Before each workshop, briefly revisit one or two behaviors that will be particularly important for that activity. As students become more experienced, invite them to add new language or behaviors to the chart.

Do not expect students to master every cooperative learning skill at once. With repeated practice, students should become increasingly able to manage discussion, include one another, support their reasoning, and work toward decisions with less teacher direction.  

Keys for Cooperative Learning Success

Key #1: Make Every Student Accountable

One of the greatest challenges of group work is ensuring that every student is engaged.

Avoid allowing one strong student to become the group’s permanent leader, recorder, or spokesperson. Students should know in advance that any member of the group may be asked to explain the group’s thinking. As the teacher  circulates, it is important for them to pay attention not only to whether the group has completed the task, but also to who is doing the thinking.  

When necessary, redirect responsibility back to the students, for example: “Before you continue, make sure everyone at the table can explain why you chose that answer.”

Key #2: Allow Room for Productive Disagreement

Not every learning assignment has one simple, predetermined answer.

Do not rush to eliminate these differences. Instead, ask students to support their ideas with evidence from the situation and with the concepts they have learned. When two answers could both make sense, help students compare them.

Ask questions like:  What makes each answer reasonable? Is one a stronger fit? What information in the situation supports your thinking?

Students should learn that changing their mind after hearing another person’s reasoning is not “losing.” It is evidence that they are thinking. The goal is not always perfect agreement. The goal is thoughtful reasoning.

Key #3: Productive Noise vs. Unproductive Noise

Cooperative learning may sound and look different from a teacher directed lesson. Students in multiple groups may debate an answer, move materials, laugh, or become excited about a challenge. Noise alone does not mean that students are off task. 

Listen for the quality of the conversation. Productive groups are discussing the task, using lesson vocabulary, explaining their ideas, asking one another questions, considering alternatives, and working toward a decision.

Intervene when one student consistently dominates, students are being excluded, disagreements become personal or disrespectful, students abandon the task, or a group is unable to move forward without support.

Before Beginning a Workshop

Before students move into groups:

1. Make sure students understand the learning goal and the task.
2. Explain or review the group structure and individual roles.
3. Clarify how each student will be expected to participate.
4. Model a round or example when the activity is new.
5. Establish the time available and a clear signal for stopping and returning attention to the teacher.

Once the workshop begins, circulate, observe, listen, question, and coach.

Then allow your students to do the work.

Conclusion

These three guiding principles should be carried into every cooperative learning workshop:

1. Everyone thinks. 
2. Everyone contributes. 
3. Everyone should be ready to explain.

When cooperative learning is structured and facilitated well, the group becomes more than a way to organize students—it becomes a place where students practice thinking, listening, reasoning, making decisions, and working together. With every workshop, these skills grow stronger and become tools students can carry with them throughout their lives.