Class Size Increasing? Use Cooperative Learning Tools to Differentiate Curriculum and Motivate Students

1. Class Size Increasing? Use Cooperative Learning Tools to Differentiate Curriculum and Motivate Students Susan Belgrad Professor of Elementary Education California State University Northridge

2. As class size increases, California teachers continue to be faced with meeting the needs of the diverse students they teach. Feeling outnumbered? This can happen—especially if students have difficulty with attention and behavior teaching can become difficult and learning impossible? Can cooperative learning strategies assist teachers in promoting more student responsibility, engagement and success? This workshop will introduce some key strategies that will make classroom life more productive and satisfying for all.

3. Business Card Activity A Goal A Success NAMEName of your School Favorite Book A Benefit Balance the Budget Completed the Training Plan Susan Cal State Northridge The Kite Runner Travel

4. PortmanteauActivity ASSIGN GROUP ROLES DISTRIBUTE PORTMANTEAU WORD LISTS ENCOURAGER TEACHES 3 WORDS TO GROUP CHECKER CHECKS WORRIER TEACHES 3 WORDS CHECKER CHECKS ETC....

5. Portmanteau Activity 7. ORAL GROUP QUIZ 8. TEAMS PROCESS PERFORMANCE USING MRS. POTTER’S QUESTIONS 9. FACILITATOR PROCESSES THE ACTIVITY USING COOPERATIVE LEARNING TEMPLATE

6. MRS. POTTER’S QUESTIONSAssess Your Group! • ONE THING WE DID WELL . . . • ONE THING WE COULD DO BETTER ON . . . FORMING SKILLS _________________ SOCIAL SUPPORTING SKILLS ________ COMMUNICATING SKILLS __________ • ON A 1 (HIGH) TO 5 (LOW) SCALE, OUR GROUP IS A ______.

7. What is authentic cooperative learning? • Cooperative learning is the presence of joint goals, mutual rewards, shared resources and complementary rolesamong members of a group; • Activity that creates a learner-centered climate leading to positive psychological adjustment; • Activity that develops students’ social skills

8. What is authentic cooperative learning? • Results in more positive heterogeneous relationships; • Results in higher self-esteem for each student; • Leads to greater intrinsic motivation in all learners; • Provides greater social support.

9. It is NOT Cooperative Learning When… • Students are presented with a goal or reward that only one or a few group members could achieve by outperforming the others; • The motivator for the activity is to “beat” their competitors so they can become frustrated with group members who don’t contribute or get in the way of success; • Students in groups do not know what their individual contributions should be; as a result they either take over the activity or refuse to participate.

10. Five Elements of Cooperative Groups • 1. Face-to-Face Interaction. The physical arrangement of students in small, heterogeneous groups encourages students to help, share, and support each other's learning. • 2. Individual Accountability. Each student is responsible for the success and collaboration of the group and for mastering the assigned task. • 3. Cooperative Social Skills. Students are taught, coached, and monitored in the use of cooperative social skills, which enhance the group work. • 4. Positive Interdependence. Students are guided by a common goal, group rewards, role assignments, and other means in completing the learning task. • 5. Group Processing. Students reflect on how well they work as a group to complete the task and how they can improve their teamwork.

11. Why Do We Need to Engage Students in Cooperative Learning Strategies? • Helps to develop better attitudes toward school; • Helps to build better attitudes toward teachers as well as peers; • Results in more on-task behavior in subject areas; • Develops students’ higher order thinking as well as integration across subject areas;

12. Why Do We Need to Engage Students in Cooperative Learning Strategies? • Results in higher achievement in subject areas; • Increases retention of new knowledge, skills, ideas; • Develops students’ perspective taking—an intelligent behavior! • And most importantly…. the social skills and habits of mind that are derived from regular cooperative learning activity in the classroom makes learning AND teaching enjoyable for all!

13. DO YOU KNOW THE THREE TYPES OF COOPERATIVE GROUPS? • BASE GROUPS • INFORMAL TASK GROUPS • FORMAL TASK GROUPS 1 2 3

14. DO YOU KNOW THE THREE TYPES OF COOPERATIVE GROUPS? BASE GROUPS A.K.A HOME Groups are assigned by the teacher considering diverse student characteristics and learning needs. They stay together over several weeks and many “bonding” activities are used to model, teach and norm desired social skills. 1

15. DO YOU KNOW THE THREE TYPES OF COOPERATIVE GROUPS? FORMAL TASK GROUPS These are the groups assigned by the teacher when students enter into a long-term project like California Missions or California Rivers; Science Units or Problem-Based social studies units. Also plays, performance and projects that may be across grade levels. Social skills and habits of mind are identified as desirable and assessed. 2

16. DO YOU KNOW THE THREE TYPES OF COOPERATIVE GROUPS? INFORMAL TASK GROUPS These are the groups assigned by the teacher for single-day or single-period lessons. Students may be assigned randomly to groups and have roles assigned randomly as well. Product of these task groups are usually shared the same day or period. Social skills and habits of mind are identified as desirable and assessed. 3

17. What was the type of cooperative group we just engaged in? • Right! The Informal Task Group.

18. T-CHART ON ATTENTIVE LISTENING

19. B U I L D

20. PHASES OF SOCIAL SKILLS INTRODUCTION • FORMING • NORMING • CONFORMING • STORMING • PERFORMING • RE-FORMING

21. SOCIAL SKILLS ARE EXPLICITLY TAUGHT IN COOPERATIVE LEARNING • FORMATIONOF GROUPS How were our groups formed today? What social skills were needed? What habits of mind were needed

22. COOPERATIVE GROUP FORMING SKILLS PRACTICE ALL RULES!! • MOVING INTO A GROUP • MOVING OUT OF A GROUP • ONE PERSON TALKS AT A TIME • STAYING WITH THE GROUP • CONTROL VOLUME OF TALK (3”, 6”, 12” VOICES)

23. PRACTICE FORMATION OF GROUPS • GET INTO GROUPS QUIETLY • SIT EYEBALL TO EYEBALL (KNEES TO KNEES) • MAKE EYE CONTACT • USE EACH OTHER’S NAMES • SHARE MATERIALS • FOLLOW ROLE ASSIGNMENTS (NOT negotiable! Stay in your role—but you may help others with their roles.

24. PRACTICE SUPPORT OF GROUPS • CHECK FOR UNDERSTANDING; • OFFER YOUR HELP; • ASK YOUR GROUP FIRST FOR HELP IF YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND; • ENCOURAGE EACH OTHER; • ENERGIZE THE GROUP; • DISAGREE WITH THE IDEA- NOT THE PERSON!

25. PRACTICE COMMUNICATION IN GROUPS • USE 6-INCH VOICES • TAKE TURNS • MAKE SURE EVERYONE SPEAKS • WAIT UNTIL SPEAKER IS FINISHED BEFORE YOU SPEAK

26. PRACTICE CONFLICT RESOLUTIONIN GROUPS • DISAGREE WITH THE IDEA-NOT THE PERSON • RESPECT THE OPINIONS OF OTHERS • THINK FOR YOURSELF • EXPLORE DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW • NEGOTIATE AND/OR COMPROMISE • REACH CONSENSUS

27. Want to Learn More about Cooperative Learning? • Dr. Susan Belgrad • will be conducting 4 workshops on • Creating the Cooperative Classroom • The workshops are free and will be held on the CSUN Campus in the Education Building • Seats are limited to 18! • Email Dr. Belgrad to reserve your place.susan.belgrad@csun.edu