Cooperative learning is a strategy where the entire class is broken down into smaller groups. Whether the goal of the lesson is to understand a new concept, improve skills, or accomplish a task, students work cooperatively to augment learning through peer to peer instruction. Cooperative learning is more than just group work; it emphasizes skills in interdependence and personal responsibility.

For cooperative learning to be successful, each member of the group must contribute in order to meet the goals the teacher establishes. The goals of the lesson can be accomplished through various activities such as discussions, reciprocal teaching, and problem solving. Almost any activity works with cooperative learning as long as students cooperate to meet the teacher’s expectations for the lesson.

Before beginning cooperative learning, teachers decide the size of each group, the goals to accomplish, the roles of each group member, the amount of time necessary to complete the goals, and the method for assigning members to groups. If working in-person, It is also necessary to arrange the classroom in such a way that groups are not seated too closely. Once the classroom is set-up and the decisions are made, teachers can begin teaching the lesson and explaining the task each group must complete.   

Heterogeneous groups work best, yet there are many ways to populate groups.  If the task requires critical thinking or difficult concepts, teachers may choose to mix students with regard to particular skills needed to reach the lesson’s goal. Teachers may also consider random grouping where students choose their own members, or groups are formed according to proximity. The size of the group depends on the assigned task; however, groups typically range from 2 to 6 members.

For cooperative learning to be a successful instructional strategy, students must understand the social skills associated with working together. For example, students should share ideas, refrain from speaking over another student, and show respect to each member of the group. So, along with students understanding the task given to the group, they must also understand how to work as a group. Teachers should review some of the social skills involved when working with others before group work begins.

The challenge with cooperative learning is keeping students focused and on-task. Since cooperative learning involves communication and collaboration, the classroom can be noisy. However, noise can be students working together or students socializing. The teacher’s role is to monitor groups. Circulating the classroom, collecting in-process documents, and spending time with each group will abate off-task behaviors.  If teaching online, teachers can pop-in to breakout sessions or ask to be invited to scheduled group meetings.

To avoid students dominating the group or not participating, roles can be assigned to group members. There are many possible roles including: timekeeper, project manager, editor, and educator. Yet, assigning roles is not necessary for cooperative learning to be successful. It is usually done if students are new to cooperative learning or lack the necessary social skills needed for success.

Once the assignment is complete, group members should be given time to reflect on the effectiveness of their group. Reflections can be written or discussed. Students may be asked to  respond to open ended statements such as: 

I helped the group with…

The best part about this group was…

Next time, I would change…

What I liked most about this group was…

What I liked least about this group was…

When done correctly, cooperative learning maximizes learning and helps students understand how to work with various personalities and apply skills in communication and collaboration.