Cooperative Learning
The following is a Cooperative Learning Activity Planning Template you can use to design your own cooperative learning activity. There are twenty major steps in designing and assessing a cooperative learning activity. Special thanks is given to Susan (Prescott) Johnston of California State University at Dominguez Hills for providing training to the author on cooperative learning.
Cooperative Learning Activity Planning Template
Instructor's Name: ______
Class: ______
Date and Time Given: ______
Activity Name or Number: ______
(You may want to use this cooperative learning activity again. Therefore, give it a name that will allow you to find it easily.)
1. Provide an explanation of what cooperative learning is, what the benefits of cooperative learning are, and why you will be using it.
(Write a paragraph on the benefits of cooperative learning and why you will be using cooperative learning in your classroom. Advise your students before starting a cooperative learning activity.)
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2. Model correct behavior for the cooperative learning activity.
(Before they do the cooperative learning activity, write down the five most important behaviors you will model for your class. Some examples might be to model how the Leader will call upon each student equally for their input or how each member is to respect other member's point of view.)
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3. Provide a team builder before starting a cooperative learning activity. (Write out an idea for a team builder that will foster cooperation in the teams. A team builder is an activity that will allow students in the teams to get to know each other better and thus feel more comfortable working together. A simple activity, which works best with pairs, is to have each partner interview the other about herself or about her prior experience with the class content. They can then report on their partner to the entire class. Karen Inouye wanted her students to see how different students have different but valid values. She told the teams they had to pretend a forest fire was soon to engulf their home, and they had to decide what five things they would grab quickly.
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4. Determine the major topic for the cooperative learning activity. (Write the major topic of this cooperative learning activity from your syllabus. An example might be "The many causes of the Civil War".)
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5. Determine the specific/core content for the cooperative learning activity. (An example might be to list the five reasons the Civil War was fought. You would list what you, and the references you provide the students, believe to be the main reasons.)
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6. Establish the critical thinking objective(s) for the cooperative learning activity. (Check the critical thinking skill(s) of this cooperative learning activity. The last four, application, analysis, synthesis and evaluation, are higher order thinking skills. Try to aim for these skills whenever possible. If you teach nursing, you might have three or four case studies of hospital patients and ask the students to write an analysis of the medications given to the patients and whether they were given appropriately.)
( ) recall
( ) comprehension
( ) application
( ) analysis
( ) synthesis
( ) evaluation
7. Establish the instructional function/purpose of the cooperative learning activity. (Check the instructional function/purpose of this cooperative learning activity. An example in a kitchen design class would be having the students read about the ten most important features of a successful kitchen design. Then have each team arrange all of the components of a kitchen in the most desirable way, practicing what they had learned.)
( ) motivate
( ) concrete experience
( ) check for understanding
( ) practice
( ) review before test
( ) review after test
8. Design the cooperative learning activity. (Write a descriptive summary of this cooperative learning activity.)
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9. Design the debriefing/synthesizing exercise for the cooperative learning activity. (Write the description of the debriefing/synthesizing exercise. This is how the students will report their work to the class or instructor. Usually you will want each team to report the conclusions to the class. Or, you may want each team to report part of the answer to the class. For example, ask each team to report one of the causes of the Civil War. When each team is finished reporting, the class has the entire answer. Usually the Spokesperson or Reporter will report the answer to the class, but some instructors like each member of the team to be ready to report. They randomly call on a member of each team. This is where student cards, which will be discussed later, are helpful. The instructor shuffles the stack of cards s/he has on each student and calls on the student whose card appears on the top of the stack. This better ensures that all students are always prepared. Students can report in any way you think is appropriate for the task. They may write their answer on an overhead transparency, deliver their answer orally, or they could present the floor plan of their kitchen.)
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10. Establish groups for the cooperative learning activity. For simple tasks, especially ones that you use early in the semester, it is best to divide student into pairs. Later, groups of three, or at the most four or five students, work well. It is best if you determine which students are in each team. Self-selection does not work as well. Random selection is a little better, but it is best if you determine which students are on the team, at least after you have gotten to know the students. Try to aim for a heterogeneous group in terms of gender, scholastic capability and ethnicity. However, studies show it is not a good idea to put only one woman or one minority on a team. They tend to feel isolated and do not perform as well. It is best to keep the group intact for at least a month or two because you want to take advantage of the feeling of community that develops in the group. You should switch the roles around now and then so that everyone gets a chance at each position. See below.)
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11. Establish roles within each group for the cooperative learning activity. (Write down the roles you will assign students and each role's responsibilities. A typical team arrangement is to have three students per team assigned the roles of Leader, Recorder, and Spokesperson or Reporter. The Leader is responsible for making sure everyone understands the new learning and assignment procedures, ensures that all members participate and work productively, facilitates resolution of any conflicts among team members, and appoints or serves a substitute for any absent team member. The Recorder records team responses for presentation to class, ensures the practice activity is complete, and records all absences and team points. The Spokesperson or Reporter makes sure everyone understands answers/ideas to be shared and reports the team's ideas to the class (using the Recorder's notes when needed). If the team consists of more than three students, there could be a Monitor and a Substitute. The Monitor would pick up and return folders, ensure that all papers in folder are distributed to teammates, make a copy of class notes for absent member(s), call them before next class, and write absent members' names on all handouts and keep them in the team file. The Substitute assumes responsibilities for any absent team member. As stated earlier, you may prefer to not have a Spokesperson and call on students at random, so that everyone needs to be prepared to respond. )
Role #1 Name: ______
Responsibilities:
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Role #2 Name: ______
Responsibilities:
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Role #3 Name: ______
Responsibilities:
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Role #4 Name: ______
Responsibilities:
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12. Designing team folders and student cards for the cooperative learning activity. Write down: what kinds of team folders you will use; whether you will have team names, colors, or photos on them; what will be inside the folders; and how the folders will be used, as well as whether you will have student cards. Having folders is the easiest way to hand out materials, store materials until the next class, and return materials to the instructor. Some instructors have students name their team and use this activity as a team building activity. There can also be a list of students on each team in the folder, and the Recorder can keep track of attendance and completed assignments. Student cards can be filled out by each student with their name, address, phone number, email address and any other pertinent information you feel you need, such as their GPA or grades on other assignments, disabilities, etc. Then you can shuffle these cards and use them for calling upon students in a fair manner. You may keep track of students’ correctly or incorrectly responses. Some instructors use the cards to be sure they call upon each student equally, but some students will slack off if they know that their name has recently been called.)
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13. Providing clear directions for the cooperative learning activity. Write the directions for this cooperative learning activity. The directions should be clear and to the point. An example might be to have three floor plans of four bedroom houses and direct the students to rate the floor plans on circulation. The directions might read: Based upon what you read in the textbook, write two rules of good circulation that were followed or broken for each of the three floor plans. Also, decide how much time the students should take on this activity and write that in the directions.)
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14. Design a graphic organizer for the cooperative learning activity. Draw the graphic organizer for this cooperative learning activity. A graphic organizer is usually a sheet of paper with places designated for all of the information you are requiring from the student. This could be as simple as a sheet of paper with a horizontal line at the top and a vertical line in the middle. Label the columns Pro and Con with numbers down each column. Students are instructed to make a list of all the pros and cons of a residential floor plan that they have been given. The directions for the activity could be written on another sheet or, preferably, at the top of the graphic organizer. Having a good graphic organizer is very important. No matter how simple the activity, there should always be a graphic organizer. Do not leave it to the students to make their own, which allows for confusion. Some graphic organizers are quite complex. Before you give the activity to your students, you should fill out a copy of the graphic organizer with the information you want to be sure it is clear and leaves adequate room for what you want the students to include.
15. Design an example for the activity. If possible, write or draw an example of a possible solution to the assignment. In the pro/con graphic organizer mentioned above, you should have one item in each column already filled out so the students have an example to follow and will know what you are expecting from them.
16. Design a group assessment tool for the cooperative learning activity. Decide how you will have the students assess their own level of participation in the activity. Write down questions you will ask. It is not a good idea to give a group grade. As an example, you might give an activity that will help the students study for a test. You can ask the team member to give out 100 points to the team, divided among the team members based upon their contribution to the team effort. They can do this as a group or individually. You may assign a few points for this team effort, but the real grade comes when the student is tested on the material practiced in the cooperative learning activity.
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17. Design an evaluation for the cooperative learning activity. Decide how you will evaluate the success of the activity, and write down questions you will ask the students. Before you do this activity again, you want to know whether all parts of the activity were clear and whether the activity was beneficial to the students' understanding of the material. Ask them questions. They may have some very good suggestions on how to improve the activity.
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