THE 72 MODELS OF COOPERATIVE LEARNING: A Guide For Educators

By : Isro, M.Ag.

The Lecturer of  STKIP Islam Bumiayu

E-mail:  isromag@yahoo.co.id -HP/Telp 0852 1519 5333/0888 260 5 260

Abstract     :

Cooperative learning is a successful teaching strategy in which small teams, each with students of different levels of ability, use a variety of learning activities to improve their understanding of a subject. Each member of a team is responsible not only for learning what is taught but also for helping teammates learn, thus creating an atmosphere of achievement. Students work through the assignment until all group members successfully understand and complete it. 

Cooperative efforts result in participants striving for mutual benefit so that all group members: gain from each other's efforts, recognize that all group members share a common fate, and know that one's performance is mutually caused by oneself and one's team members.Feel proud and jointly celebrate when a group member is recognized for achievement.

This reading suggests that, through a variety of strategies in teaching, the active role of students in cooperative learning groups can be extended to student-generated evaluation criteria and to self and peer-evaluation. While shifting our students and ourselves away from a traditional dependency upon externally-generated feed-back and rewards, we are helping to move students towards becoming more autonomous, self-reflective, and responsible.

Keywords       : Cooperative Learning,  A Guide For Educators.

A.    Introductions

Robert Slavin offers the definition of cooperative learning: “all cooperative learning methods share the idea that students works together to learn and are responsible for their teammates’ learning as well as their own. In addition to the idea of cooperative work, student team learning methods [the overall name used for those methods developed by Slavin and his colleagues] emphasize the use of team goals and team success, which can be achieved only if all members of the team learn the objectives being taught. That is, in student team learning the students’ tasks are not to do something as a team, but to learn something as a team”.[1]

Three concepts are central to all student team learning methods—team rewards, individual accountability, and equal opportunities for success. Teams may earn certificates or other team rewards if they achieve above a designated criterion. Teams do not compete to earn scarce rewards; all (or none) of the teams may achieve the criterion in a given week. Individual accountability means that the team’s success depends on the individual learning of all team members. Accountability focuses the activity of the team members on tutoring one another and making sure that everyone on the team is ready for a quiz or any other assessment that students take without teammate help. Equal opportunities for success means that students contribute to their own past performance. This ensures that high, average, and low achievers are equally challenged to do their best, and that the contributions of all team members will be valued.

Several point in Slavin’s definition should be noted; 1. there is an emphasis on rewards. This is not part of all cooperative learning methods. These rewards are a key means of encouraging mutual (positive) interdependence. 2. the rewards which Slavin talks about are not grades. Grades are earned individually. Thus, while the whole team receives the same reward, e.g., a certificate for achievement, each member will often receive a different grade, e.g., one member of the team might receive a grade of A, while another might receive a grade of C. 3. collaborative skills are not explicitly taught. 4. Groups are heterogeneous based on students’ past achievement record. 5. individual accountability is fostered means such as individual quizzes.[2] Most experts on cooperative learning agree that elements of cooperative learning are :

§  Individual Accountability: Each student will be responsible for being able to answer the two questions.

§  Positive Interdependence: Each group member will need to support team members in learning the pattern and what will come next in the pattern.

§  Social Skills/Face to Face Interaction: The students will need to use communication skills to share ideas and listen for others ideas. The will work together with hands on interaction to create the pattern.

§  Heterogeneous Grouping: The children will be placed in groups by randomly choosing sticks with colored dots on the ends.

§  Evaluation: Students will receive credit for completing their pattern and the group will receive credit for answering the questions.

§  Trust: The students must feel comfortable with each other in order to work well together.[3]

B.     Foundations of Cooperative Learning

This article looks at four foundations as the philosophies and theories of learning. Let’s begin with an analogy. Many people go swiming in the ocean, but different people are attracted to ocean swimming for different reasons, and these differences can be seen in what these various people do as they swim. For example, some people swim for exercise. These people do sprints and are always looking at their waterproof watches to check their times and their heart rates. Other people like swimming because it’s an opportunity to relax. This type of swimmer can often be seen floating on their back looking at the sky. Other people are attracted to ocean swimming for other reasons, such as to look at marine life, to socialize with friends, or for a combination of the above reasons.

The point is that each group is attracted to swimming by different aspects of what the activity has to offer. Also, for each group, going swimming means doing something diffferent from what other groups do when they are in the water. In the same way, different educators are attracted (or not attracted) to cooperative learning for different reasons.  These differences are reflected in the methods they use to implement cooperative Lerning. The four cooperative learning methods (as foundations) are :

a.  Group-Investigation (G-I), developed by Shlomo Sharan and collegues, based in part on the philosophy of John dewey;  “the group-investigative approach to coperative learning is a deliberate attempt to embody some of dewey’s principles in a set of procedures applicable to class.rooms without the total redesign of a school environment and organization that dewey wished to achieve”. Dewey’s central ideas are : 1). Students should be active, learning by doing; 2). Learning should be based on intrinsic motivation; 3). Knowledge is changing, not fixed; 4). Learning should relate to student’s needs and interests; 5). Educations should include learning to work with, respect, and understand others, democratic procedures are essential; and, 6). Learning should be related to the world beyond the classroom and should help to improve the world.[4]

b.  Student Teams Achievement Divisions (STAD), developed by Robert Slavin and colleagues, based in part on behaviorist psychology; Slavin argues that  group contingencies are essential if small-group structures are  to enhance achievement. By group contingencies, Slavin means that, “the behavior of one or more group members brings rewards to o group”. Group contingencies work in two steps. First, the teacher offers rewards or punishments to groups. Then the group members apply rewards or punishments to each other. Slavin sees cooperative learning as a more efficient way of delivering exterinsic motivators. Some typical features of behaviorist learning methods are; 1). Exterinsic motivation; 2). Low cognitive level tasks; 3). Everyone does the same thing; 4). Achievement is the goal, to be measured by objective tests; affect is not emphasized; 5). Product orientation; and, 6). Teachers decide what is to be learned and give students the information they are to learn.[5]

c.  Learning Together, developed by David and Roger Johnson, and Jigsaw, Developed by Eliot Aronson and colleagues, both based in part on theories in social psychology; have a key concept is “interdependence”. Interdefendence concerns people’s perceptionsof how they affect and are affected by what happens to others. Deutsch divided interdependence into positive and negative, with a third possibility being that no interdependence exists between people in a given situation. The Johnson have expanded this work by: 1). Developing many ways of encouraging positive interdependence; 2). Testing these cooperative learning structures in many setting; and, 3). Disseminating the concepts among educators. The johnsons’ system has five key elements; 1). Positive interdependence; 2). Individual accountability; 3). Face-to-face interaction; 4). Teaching collaborative skill; and, 5). Processing group interaction.[6]

d. MURDER, developed by donald Dansereau and colleagues,based in part on cognitive psychology. Cognitive psychology, perhaps the dominant view in education today, focuses on how humans take in, store, and process what we learn. Cognitivists try to look inside the mind to explore how thinking and learning take place. One cooperative learning method which derives from cognitive psychology is MURDER. MURDER is a six-step script designed to be used by dyads. The steps are: 1).Setting the proper Mood by relaxing and focusing on learning task; 2). Reading a passage section for Understanding with no pressure to memorize; 3). One partner gives an oral summary Recalling the material read; 4). Detecting, by the other partner, of errors and omissions in the summary; 5). Elaborating by both partners to make the material more memorable. Steps 2, 3, 4, and 5 are repeated for each section of the material being read; and, 6). After reading the entire passage, Reviewing by both partners of the entire passage by creating a super-summary of all the passage sections.[7] Some people find the acronym MURDER to be unpleasant. A substitute could be SUMMER: Set the mood, Understand by reading silently, Mention the main ideas, Monitor the summary, Elaborate, and Review.

C.    Kagen, and other authors, present several cooperative learning structures that can be used within a direct instruction lesson:[8]

1.    The jigsaw

The steps: a). Divide students into 5- or 6-person jigsaw groups. The groups should be diverse in terms of gender, ethnicity, race, and ability. b). Appoint one student from each group as the leader. Initially, this person should be the most mature student in the group. c). Divide the day's lesson into 5-6 segments. For example, if you want history students to learn about Eleanor Roosevelt, you might divide a short biography of her into stand-alone segments on: (1) Her childhood, (2) Her family life with Franklin and their children, (3) Her life after Franklin contracted polio, (4) Her work in the White House as First Lady, and (5) Her life and work after Franklin's death. d). Assign each student to learn one segment, making sure students have direct access only to their own segment. e). Give students time to read over their segment at least twice and become familiar with it. There is no need for them to memorize it. f). Form temporary "expert groups" by having one student from each jigsaw group join other students assigned to the same segment. Give students in these expert groups time to discuss the main points of their segment and to rehearse the presentations they will make to their jigsaw group. g). Bring the students back into their jigsaw groups. h). Ask each student to present her or his segment to the group. Encourage others in the group to ask questions for clarification. i). Float from group to group, observing the process. If any group is having trouble (e.g., a member is dominating or disruptive), make an appropriate intervention. Eventually, it's best for the group leader to handle this task. Leaders can be trained by whispering an instruction on how to intervene, until the leader gets the hang of it. J). At the end of the session, give a quiz on the material so that students quickly come to realize that these sessions are not just fun and games but really count.

2.    Think-Pair-Share

The steps: a). Before introducing the Think-Pair-Share strategy to the students, decide on your target for this lesson.  You may choose to use a new text that the class will be reading, or you might want to develop a set of questions or prompts that target key content concepts that you have been studying. b). Describe the strategy and its purpose with your students, and provide guidelines for discussions that will take place.  Explain to students that they will (1) think individually about a topic or answer to a question;(2) pair with a partner and discuss the topic or question; and (3) share ideas with the rest of the class. c). Using a student or student(s) from your classroom, model the procedure to ensure that students understand how to use the strategy. Allow time for students to ask questions that clarify their use of the technique. d). Once students have a firm understanding of the expectations surrounding the strategy, monitor and support students as they work through the steps below.  Teachers may also ask students to write or diagram their responses while doing the Think-Pair-Share activity. e). Think:  Teachers begin by asking a specific higher-level question about the text or topic students will be discussing. Students "think" about what they know or have learned about the topic for a given amount of time (usually 1-3 minutes). f).Pair:  Each student should be paired with another student. Teachers may choose whether to assign pairs or let students pick their own partner.  Remember to be sensitive to learners' needs (reading skills, attention skills, language skills) when creating pairs.  Students share their thinking with their partner, discuss ideas, and ask questions of their partner about their thoughts on the topic (2-5 minutes). g). Share:  Once partners have had ample time to share their thoughts and have a discussion, teachers expand the "share" into a whole-class discussion. Allow each group to choose who will present their thoughts, ideas, and questions they had to the rest of the class.  After the class “share,” you may choose to have pairs reconvene to talk about how their thinking perhaps changed as a result of the “share” element.

3.    Team Pair Solo

The steps: a). Students do problems first as a team, then with a partner, and finally on their own. b). It is designed to motivate students to tackle and succeed at problems which initially are beyond their ability. c). It is based on a simple notion of mediated learning. Students can do more things with help (mediation) than they can do alone. d). By allowing them to work on problems they could not do alone, first as a team and then with a partner, they progress to a point they can do alone that which at first they could do only with help.

4.    Round-Robin Brainstorming

The steps: a). Step 1 – Gather your team together around a table. Give each person some index cards, so that people can record their ideas on individual pieces of card. b). Step 2 – Acting as facilitator, explain the problem that you want to solve. Be specific about the objectives of the brainstorming session. Answer questions, but discourage discussion. The goal in this step is to allow individual people to think creatively without any influence from others. c). Step 3 – Have each team member, in silence, think of one idea and write it down on an index card. d). Step 4 – Once everyone has written down an idea, have each person pass their idea to the person next to them. Everyone should now be holding a new card with their neighbor’s idea written down on it. e). Step 5 – Have each person use their neighbor’s idea as inspiration to create another idea, which they then write on a fresh index card. Then ask each person to hand in their neighbor’s card, and pass their new idea to the person next to them to repeat step 4. f). Step 6 – Continue this circular idea swap for as long as is necessary to gather a good amount of ideas. When the time is up, gather up all the ideas. You can now collate them, eliminate any duplicates, and discuss them further as required.

5.    Numbered Heads Together

The steps: a). Step 1. Preparation. At this stage the teacher prepares a lesson plan by making cooperative learning model according to the type of Numbered Heads Together. b). Step 2. Formation of groups.Carried out group formation is the second step. The teacher divides the students into heterogeneous groups consisting of 3-5 students. Teachers gave a number to each student in the group and name the group. The group was formed by a mixture of in terms of social background, race, ethnicity, gender and learning ability. c). Step 3.Each group must have a textbook or handbook.Groups must have a reference(s) book or study materials to facilitate students in completing the activity sheet or problems given by the teacher. d). Step 4. Discussion of problems. Activity sheets distributed to students as a material to be studied. Students then think and work together. Furthermore, each member of the group they should know the answer to the question that is on the sheet or activity that has been given by the teacher. Questions may vary from those that are specific to general. e). Step 5.Call the number of members or giving answers. The teacher then calls a number and students from each group with the same number raised their hands and prepare for and respond to the entire class. f). Step 6.Gives conclusions.Teachers with students concluded the final answer of all questions related to the material presented.

6.  Three-step Interview

The steps: In the 3 step interview, students in each group take part in three separate discussions, or interviews. This strategy is useful when groups have developed their own design solutions and need to combine them for one class proposal. It can be used as a ranking strategy to determine what may need to be ‘left out’ of the group’s own design to develop the class design proposal. To establish this strategy: (Note: Each team could present their design solution to the class prior to conducting the 3 step interview). a). Divide into teams of four, numbering the members from 1 to 4. B). Introduce the discussion topic, e.g. ‘Which built environment features from your proposal should be included in the class solution? Why?. C). The three steps are then introduced, allowing students 2–3 minutes for each interview. Step 1: Students 1 and 2 interview each other while Students 3 and 4 interview each other. Step 2: Students 1 and 3 interview each other and Students 2 and 4 interview each other. Step 3: The four group members then discuss the topic and attempt to reach a consensus.

7. Three-minute Review

Teachers stop any time during a lecture or discussion and give teams three minutes to review what has been said, ask clarifying questions or answer questions.

8.    Circle the Sage

The teacher asks who has the answer to a particular problem.  The classmates surround a sage, with no two members of the same team going to the same sage. The sage explains what they know while the classmates listen, ask questions, and take notes. All students then return to their teams. Each in turn, explains what they learned. This structure is a great way to address group questions. The steps are: a. A question is posed by facilitator or participants; b. The facilitator asks for 3 - 4 sages who feel they could answer the question. They do not need to be experts, just have information to share; c. The sages move to different locations in the room. Participants divide themselves equally around different sages; d. Sages answer the questions; e. Participants thank sage for sharing knowledge and return to teams; and, f. Participants share learning with team. Examples: 1). What are the ways that Kwanza is celebrated?. 2).How are the three bears in the story made to seem appealing and cuddly in this story?.

9. Partners

The class is divided into teams of four. Partners move to one side of the room. Half of each team is given an assignment to master to be able to teach the other half. Partners work to learn and can consult with other partners working on the same material. Teams go back together with each set of partners teaching the other set.

10.Gallery Walk

a). Quiet reflection identify - concepts/issues about significant learnings from the topic under consideration; b). List all, have group eliminate duplications & refine list to manageable numbers (under 6).  Randomly divide group members into groups.  Each group selects an issue/concept to brainstorm. Give about 5 minutes at 1st poster, call time, ask them to move to next, reflect and record the implications of that concept. They will move 1 poster clockwise a total of 3 times; c). Provide time for discussion and movement; d).  Get the charts marked “Applications”.  For each implication, write at least two applications; e). Provide time for discussion and movement (again 3 posters, but give at least 7 minutes at each; f). Ask each participant to walk around the room and identify 2 ideas from the charts that they will apply.

11. PMI – Plus-Minus-Interesting

The purpose of PMI is to help students evaluate and extend understanding about facts, concepts, thinking processes, and cooperative interactions and to encourage students to investigate and examine all sides of an issue. Vocabulary needed:  Plus - a benefit, Minus - a drawback, Interesting Question - a question or comment , Inquiry - the act of investigating or finding out about something, Evaluate - to weigh, value, judge importance, or assess, Play Devil’s Advocate - to argue for a position whether or not you agree with it, for the sake of argument. a) Draw a PMI frame on the board or overhead. Label each column and explain the term and its use.  Explain that “plus” comments will show what students see as positives, “minus” what comments they see as negatives, and “interesting questions” will show what they would like to know about the topic or its pluses and minuses. b).  Above the PMI frame on the board or overhead, write the topic for discussion. c).  Once you have a topic, one with which your students are familiar, assign roles for small group work, review the cooperative guidelines, and distribute one blank PMI per trio. Allow the groups three to five minutes for listing the pluses of the topic. Repeat the procedure for the other categories. d).  When time is up, invite one plus, one minus, and one interesting question from each group. e). After reviewing the procedures, ask students to explain when and where they might use a PMI, how it can help their thinking in school and outside school, and what the advantages of using a PMI are. f). Have some fun with it …. Invite students to play devil’s advocate.  Further the process by having students complete an inquiry (investigation) about a viewpoint and present to the class.

12.      Case Studies

Provides an opportunity for students to apply what they learn in the classroom to real-life situations.

13.Technology

Integrate computers and other technology into the classroom as much as possible.

14. Using Graphic Organizers

a) Clustering – a nonlinear activity that generates ideas, images and feelings around a stimulus word or thought. b) Chain of events – used to describe the stages of an event, the actions of character or the steps in a procedure.  Key questions:  What is the first step in the procedure or initiating event?  What are the next stages or steps?  How does one event lead to the next?  What is the final outcome? c) Network tree - Used to show causal information (causes of poverty), a hierarchy (types of insects), or branching procedures (the circulatory system). d)  Family Tree – shows how family members are related.  Venn diagrams – used as a pre-writing activity to organize thoughts or in mathematics to show relationships between sets.

15. Team Line Up

Participants line up according to some pre-established criteria ... for example, by birth date (month and year). Line ups can be used to make small groups (fold the line, count off by 4's, etc.) and can be used to promote communication and develop concepts.

16. Group Discussion:

This is the simplest of all cooperative learning structures. At various times during a presentation, ask the participants to discuss the topic with someone sitting near them. It's a two step process .. . talk it over and share your ideas.

17. Corners

This structure is designed to allow participants to get to know themselves and each other better. It can be used as a content-related classbuilder or used after a lesson as a review. The steps are: a. The facilitator announces the corners . . . which state they would like to visit . . . whatever. b. Participants think about their choices. c. They write down their choices on a piece of paper. d. They go to the corner of their choice. e. They talk with others in the corner about why they chose it. f. A spokesperson from the corner shares with the whole group why they chose it. g. After hearing all of the reasons, participants can then change corners. h. Participants return to their tables and review their reasons. The steps: a). Students in each group of four select a number from 1 to 4. b). Corners of the room are assigned a number from 1 to 4. c). Each corner group is assigned to discuss one aspect of the topic then return to their original group to report what they learned. Examples: Discuss a short story using the following questions, one assigned to each corner of the room: 1). What do you like about this story?. 2). What do you dislike about this story?. 3). What made  a hero in the story?. 4). Was the ending of the story satisfying? Why? Why not?. And other model; Four Corners; a). Label corners - Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, Strongly Disagree.  Place strongest opinions in diagonal corners, the furthest apart; b).  Read aloud an issue or belief statement; c). Have students move to their respective corner, meet and greet one another (handshake, names, etc.) and appoint one leader who will monitor the discussion.  Discuss why they chose this corner, implications, etc; d).  Report to main group when finished; and e). Summarize.

18. Guess-the-Fib

This can be played either within teams or within the class. When played within teams, participants try to fool their teammates; when played within the class, teams

try to fool other teams. The idea is simple. In Guess-the Fib students state two rather unbelievable facts and one believable fib. They announce all three as facts, and it is the job of the teammates, or other teams to guess which one is the fib. Finger responses can be used with Guess-the Fib. Students simply hold up one, two, or three fingers, depending on which statement they believe is the fib.

19. Inside-Outside Circle

Participants stand in two concentric circles, with the inside circle facing out and the outside circle facing in. They make a quarter right turn. The facilitator tells them how many to rotate, they face a partner and share information, such as name, where born, favorite book. Inside-Outside Circle is an excellent activity for sharing information in pairs. It is a nice closing activity to share one highlight and one thing they will do as a result of the workshop.

20. Spend-A-Buck

 When students must reach a decision quickly, Spend-A-Buck can be used. Each student is given four quarters to spend any way they wish on the choice alternatives.

Each student must spend his/her quarters on more than one item. The team then tallies the results to determine the team decision. Spend-A-Buck, unlike voting, does not produce clear winners and losers. To make the decision even less polarized, have the teams spend ten dimes. With this version each member is obliged to spend something on at least three items.

21.  Agreement Circles

The Steps: a). Students form a large circle; b). Teacher provides statements about which students will have an opinion ( agree or disagree); c). Students step into, or out of the original circle to express their agreement of disagreement with the statement; d). Teach students to match the size of their opinion (e.g., strongly disagree) with the size of their step into or out of the circle. Examples or cautions: 1). Teach multiplication practice using agreement circles; 2). Select activities for P.E. through this type of voting procedure.

22.  Blind Sequencing

The Steps: a). Provide students with some pieces of new learning that must be sequenced ( e.g., numbers on a number line); b). Have each team member sort the items on their own, then match their decisions with those of team members to reach consensus. Examples or cautions: 1). Create a number line; 2). Sort historical dates in relation to events; 3). Create a story line for a story they have just read.

23.  Fan and Pick

The Steps: a). Create question cards for the new learning. b). Each team is given a set of questions with each question on a different card. c). Students in each group of four take one role from among the following: #1 – fan the cards;  #2 -  pick the question from the fanned cards; #3 – answer the question; and #4 – comment on the answer; praise as needed. Examples or cautions:  1).What is the most appealing part of this story?. 2). Apply to question cards that can be open to opinion or can have a specific answer that is provided on the card ( e.g., 4X6=24)

24.  Find My Rule

The Steps: a). The teacher proposes groupings of items in a graphic format (e.g., using boxes, paper mystery bags, number lines, Venn diagrams, etc.). b). Teams of four are challenged to discuss the clues and decide on the category of items. Cautions: Teacher asks students to discover the rule of the organizer that has been used: Example:  1). What is the Venn diagram showing us about how these two stories are similar?. 2). What number rule have I used to create this number sequence (e.g., 2,5,8,11)?.

25.  Find Someone Who…

The Steps: a). Groups of students are given a worksheet requiring certain information that others in the class may have. They are given a limited amount of time to circulate and find the answers to their questions, filling them in on their worksheets as they circulate. b). After the time limit is up, students can return to their original groups of four and share any answers that others have not yet acquired. Examples or cautions: 1). Find a person in the room who…( an introductory activity). 2). Fill out your bingo sheet by finding someone who can give you an answer to each question      (e.g., addition questions on the sheet). 3). Get a fact to answer each question on your sheet. Have the people who answered each question initial that part of your question sheet.

26.  Find the Fib ( also called Three Facts and a Lie)

The Steps: a). Each team of four students is given a series of statements that relate to the topic, some being true statements and some being false. B). Through discussion, students try to determine the truth of the statements by referencing resources about the topic. Examples or cautions: 1). Using the short story, quote parts of the story that provide evidence of why some statements are true and others are not. 2).  Re-sort the items in the envelope to create a true number line. Discard the dates that are not applicable.

27.  Flashcard Game

The Steps: a). Pair students. b). Provide each pair of students with a set of flashcards relating to the topic. c). Have students take turns questioning each other using the flashcards. d). This can also be done by using one questioner and three answerers in each group. Examples or cautions: 1). Apply to number facts (addition questions, subtraction questions, multiplication facts, etc.). 2). Apply to spelling or reading of word wall words. 3). Apply to facts of informational text reading small groups have discussed.

28.  Formations

The Steps:  1). Apply this to students’ understanding of shapes. 2). Using concepts of mathematical shapes, have students create the shapes by standing in various formations. Examples or cautions: Stand in circles, squares, rectangles, triangles, etc.

29.  Four S Brainstorming

The Steps: a). Assign a topic to students (e.g., Create an exciting opening sentence for this story). B). Provide each group of 4 with several slips of paper on which each person can identify ideas by rapid response. C). Give groups a limited response time (e.g., 3 minutes). d). Have students individually record their ideas on separate sheets of scrap paper, one idea per sheet and contribute each idea to the growing pile in the center of the group table. e). Have the group consider and discuss each idea and select, through consensus or voting, which idea will represent the group’s response.

Note: You could also make this more interesting for students by giving students in each group different silly “S” names that would encourage each student to take on a different role within each group, ( examples include “Silly Sam”, “Synergy Sue”, Sergeant, Support, and Speed Supervisor”) Examples or cautions: Ask “What would you suggest as a replacement for this sentence as an opening sentence for the short story “Summer on the Farm”?.  Original sentence  “We usually spent two full months there”.

30.  Inside/ Outside Circle

The Steps: a). Divide students into teams of four. Match up two teams. Give one team a set of question cards with answers recorded on the same side of the card (e.g., multiplication facts). b). Have students stand in circles around students from the other team so that the inside circle is facing out and the outside circle is facing in. Have the students stand facing a partner in the opposite circle and ask the first question, then have either circle rotate ( e.g., the outside circle moves one spot to the right). Examples or cautions: 1). Can be applied to any content but the circle that is asking the questions must have both the questions and the answers.

31.  Value Lines

The Steps: Students are assigned to line up on different sides of the room in response to a statement by the teacher to show their agreement or disagreement with the statement. Examples or cautions: Teacher says to the class “If you agree with this statement, go and stand on the left side of the room. If you disagree, go and stand on the right side of the room. Be ready to explain at least one reason why you chose that side of the room.”

32.  Folded Lines

The Steps: a). This approach will help students to develop their understanding of different perspectives. B). Have students stand in a straight line. Divide the line in half (fold it) and have one side of the folded line take the positive view of a given statement and the other side take the negative view of the same statement. Once the line is folded, give students a limited amount of time to “argue” the issue from the perspective they are given. Cautions: Provide students with issue statements that they can apply to new learning; Example: “This is a good story because… Or This is not a good story because…”

33.  Lyrical Lessons

The Steps: Have students work in teams to create a lyric to a familiar tune to help them to memorize the content of a new lesson. Examples or cautions: Create a sample lyric to have students remember the BEDMAS rules in math or the order of Canadian provinces from east to west or west to east and match their lyrics to a popular song they will all know.

34.  Match Mine: Draw What I Say

The Steps: a). Provide each pair of students with a barrier they can place between then (e.g., two file folders with the sides held up with paper clips to create a barrier). B). Have one student give directions to the other to draw what is being described. Examples or cautions: 1). Read the description of the setting of a story and have the partner draw what they heard. 2). Have students describe movement on a number line by saying “Add __ or take away ___”. 3). Have students describe movement on a map and have their partner move a puzzle piece on a map to match the directions.

35.  Match Mine: Build What I Write

The Steps: a). Have students work in partners as above with dividers between their work. b). Have one partner describe in words what the other partner will build on the other side of the barrier.Examples or cautions: Using three lines, create a closed figure with three different sized angles and three different sized lines. Label the final sketch with the name of this shape (i.e., scalene triangle).

36.  Mix-Freeze-Group

The Steps: a). This is a strategy to have students form random groups quickly. At a predetermined sound      (bell) have students rush to form a group of a preidentified size. b). Predetermine a spot in the room that will serve as the” lost and found” spot where all students who did not get into a group quickly enough can report for group assignment. Examples or cautions: Note: Do not use random groupings for tasks where the outcome is high stakes or for tasks where students need peer support from stronger students to ensure success.

37.  Mix-Pair-Discuss ( also called “Elbow Partners”)

The Steps: This is a quick grouping strategy to have students surface knowledge as a method of getting deeper discussion for the topic. Examples or cautions: Note: Use consistent terms and timelines to get students to do this quickly as it will become a staple strategy.

38.  Mix and Match ( also called “Snowball”)

The Steps: a). This can be used as a grouping strategy or as a way of having students assume responsibility for randomly assigned parts of a larger body of information. b). To group students, create two copies of each question. Crumple them up and give one to each student so that they do not know the content of what they have been given. c). Have students imagine a divider in the classroom (e.g., a volleyball net) and toss their snowball across the room. Another student will pick it up, unfold it, then search the room to find a partner with the same question. Partners will then work to research or answer the question.  d). To focus on content, rather than groupings, using this strategy, have students catch snowballs of questions created by the teacher and that will become their question for the research task.Examples or cautions: Note: If teachers write questions in colour groups, students could meet in colour groups following their research and create a group presentation of their findings.

39.  One Stray ( Can also be two stray or three stray)

The Steps: a). Students work on a task as a group of four. b). At different times throughout the task, the teacher calls out “One Stray” ( or” two stray” or “three stray”). When this is called out, one or more students stray to other groups to borrow their ideas and bring them back to their group.Examples or cautions: Note: A variation on this strategy would have students who stray trade one idea from their group with one idea from the group where they stray. The teacher would give each group a few minutes of warning to write an idea onto a slip of paper and the “strayers” take a slip of paper with an idea along when they leave their group and trade their idea for an idea from the new group. Students need to understand before this strategy is used that they will not have control of what information is shared with them so they may already know what is being shared. This approach should not be used in combination with competition.

40.  Pairs Check

The Steps: a). Students are paired by the teacher or by random grouping       (e.g., elbow partners , or mix-freeze-group). b). Students have a task(s) to complete and their partners are asked to coach each other to complete it successfully. c). Partners create a quick way to celebrate each others’ success and do that regularly throughout the work period (e.g., high five). Examples or cautions: Note: This can be combined with timed tasks as students learn to handle competition productively. * This strategy can be applied to any content.

41.  Pairs Compare

The Steps: a). Students work with assigned or random partners to generate ideas and solve problems where many possibilities can be correct. B). Once ideas are collected by partners, each pair recombines with a second pair and works in a group of four to share ideas and generate the maximum number of ideas. Examples or cautions: Note: Teach social skills at the outset to ensure that partners are receptive to any re-combinations that happen by teacher selection or randomly. This strategy can be applied to any content.

42.  Paraphrase Passport

The Steps: a). Students work in groups of four. b). This strategy is designed to encourage active listening. c). Have students take turns discussing an idea assigned by the teacher. Before each student can add their ideas, they must summarize  (paraphrase)  the   comment that was    made by the previous    student. Examples or cautions:  Note: Before this strategy is used, spend some time introducing the skill of paraphrasing to students and post an anchor chart so that students know what paraphrasing looks like and sounds like.This strategy can be applied to any content.

43.  Poems or Songs for Two Voices

The Steps: Students work with a partner and alternate reading lines on assignments. Examples or cautions: Homogeneous pairings can support students’ skills development.

44.  Q-Spinner

The Steps: Write questions on a spinner, using the starters from the Bloom’s Taxonomy Q-Matrix. Spin the spinner for the whole class or for the students working in small groups. If students are working in groups, they can support development of each other’s answers. Examples or cautions: Note: Alternatively, question starters can be placed in a box and students can randomly select questions or question starters to answer.

45.  Rally Robin

The Steps: Students working in partners pass a “speaking token” to signify that they are taking a turn to speak. Examples or cautions: Note: This can be done using many tangible strategies such as tossing a paper ball or passing a talking stick as per native traditions

46.  Rally Table

The Steps: Students share one answer sheet for partners or small groups and pass the sheet to add parts of the answer(s) to the sheet. Limit the number of pencils or pens so that students have to take turns. Examples or cautions: This strategy will work for any multi-part paper and pencil task.

47.  Pass and Praise

The Steps: This is done the same as Rally Table but the receiving student must receive and read the last students’ entry, praise their work in a genuine way, and then add their ideas. Examples or cautions: Note: Teach and review with students the ways that they can praise other’s work. Create and post a “Looks Like” and “Sounds Like” T-chart for students to reference.

48.  Reading Boards

The Steps: Assign students to homogenous groups. Provide each group with a page for reading (or singing). Have students use a game piece or pointer to track the reading or singing as it is done in a choral manner. Examples or cautions: Note: Ensure that the printing on the chart of reading or singing is enlarged. Alternatively, each member of a group can have parts of the reading cut up into pieces in front of them. As the reading progresses, members of the group can construct the reading by adding their words or phrases to the master card to create the whole passage.

49.  Rotating Review ( also called “Parking Lots”)

The Steps: a). The teacher posts aspects of the topic to be reviewed on separate sheets of chart paper. b). Students rotate individually or in partners to each piece of chart paper and record their ideas on each aspect of the topic. Examples or cautions: Note: Model doing this with a small group which represents the entire group so that students can see how the rotation works.Model and exemplify writing size for charts so that the resulting information is easily accessible by other students.This strategy can also be used by students to post their questions about various aspects of a topic. Students’ questions can be written on post-it notes and put on charts during natural pauses in the lesson.

50.  Rotating Peer Review

The Steps: During times when students are presenting information to the class, feedback can be achieved in written form by having students record information on various posted charts for their groups around the room. Examples or cautions: Post-it notes can be used for immediate comments that can be posted later.

51.  Round Robin

The Steps: Students take turns by passing items, tossing a paper wad, or using numbers to “schedule” their input within the group. Examples or cautions: This strategy can apply to any sharing opportunity.

52.  Round Table

The Steps: Students work in small groups and the teacher limits the resources (e.g., number of papers, books, pencils, etc.) so that students must rely on each other to get the task(s) completed. Examples or cautions: This approach creates resource interdependence (Positive Interdependence).Roles can be assigned and teachers can decide on amounts of resources that may be used within the group. If more than one “copy” of the resource is used, this strategy may be referred to as “Simultaneous Round Table”.

53.  Sages Share

The Steps: The teacher provides a topic and students brainstorm ideas about the topic. Students record all ideas on the same sheet (recorder) and then students initial the ideas they could explain to the whole class. The class can then select “sages” from the group who have initialed the idea to explain their contributions.

54.  Same-Different

The Steps: Students work as partners. They each have a picture, photo, map, or word list with some similarities and differences on each. Students ask each other questions in alternate turns and get ideas about what is similar and what is different on each list. Students can record similarities and differences in Venn diagram format. Examples or cautions: My list has the word ‘exciting’ on it. Does your list have that word?. Note: Students should protect each others’ pages from the view of their partner so that interaction is required to complete the task.

55.  Send a Problem/ Trade a Problem

The Steps: Students create a problem that they send around the class for solving. Examples or cautions: Challenge students to create a problem with given parameters (e.g., include 3 mathematical operations).

56.  Part of the Problem

The Steps: a). Create homogeneous groups of four students. Have each take one piece of the problem from a random pile of paper strips (all strips together create all aspects of the problem when taken together). B). Have each group member read the problem strip they have and then have group members work on a common page     ( one paper, one pencil) to solve the problem. Examples or cautions: Strip #1 – There are twenty students in the class. Strip #2 – They have one knife. Strip #3 – They want to share 4 apples equally. Strip #4 – Draw at least two ways that the apples can be cut up to share them equally among the students.

57.  Showdown

The Steps: Students are divided into groups of four. The teacher gives the class an oral question or problem. Each member of the group writes their answer on an individual sheet. When the teacher says, “SHOWDOWN” each member of the group displays their answer to the rest of the group and they compare and verify their answers. Examples or cautions: This is best used with short answers so that it can progress quickly. The teacher can choose to incorporate a recording sheet within each group so students can record the summary of which students within the group had each answer correct.

58.  Similarity Groups

The Steps: This is a group formation strategy. Students form groups based on similarities. Examples or cautions: Teachers can use more random but structured strategies to expose students more broadly to working with those outside of their usual peer group. For example, students can pair with a partner by finding someone who holds the other half of the picture they have been given.

59.  Spend a Buck

The Steps: a). This strategy is used to have students make a quick “vote” about some issue or choice. B). Options are laid out so that all members of the group can see a written copy clearly.c). Each group member has the same number (e.g., 4) tokens or coins to spend in making a choice. d). When the teacher poses the question, students lay down each coin to vote on their choice. Examples or cautions: This strategy could be applied to content by having students provide a fact or point of view about the topic and by “spending” one coin for each idea they express.

60.  Spin and Think Along The Thinking Trail

The Steps: Teach students that a “thinking trail” includes the steps of: -reading the question, -answering the question, -paraphrasing the answer -discussing the            answer to take   other    perspectives into   account, Provide thinking trail anchor charts to create thinking trail stations in the classroom (one for each step). Teacher randomly selects a student at each station to answer prompts and probes about the original question. Examples or cautions: This could be applied to any content.Steps of the thinking trail should be modeled and used frequently to ensure that the strategy is clear before students have to work on this strategy individually.

61.  Stir the Class

The Steps: Students are placed in homogeneous groups of 4, numbered from 1 to 4; All groups then join a large circle; The teacher poses a question; The group members huddle in groups of 4 to discuss the questions and pose an answer; The group then prepares for the next question by having one numbered person from their group (e.g., #3) join the next group that is placed clockwise in the larger circle, to participate in answering the next question. Examples or cautions: Variations may include having the teacher call out two numbers for each question so that half of the members of each group are different for each question.

62.  Talking Chips

The Steps:  a). Students are placed in homogeneous groups of 4 by the teacher. B). students are assigned to discuss some issue and given a pre-determined number of talking chips to “buy” their way into the discussions of the group. c). Once students spend one chip to speak to the group, they must wait until every other member of the group has spoken before they can spend a second chip. Examples or cautions: This can be made easier to track by having students spend four chips, each with a different colour. Then, each group member must spend their chips in a posted colour order (e.g., yellow, green, blue, red). Teachers can also teach students to discuss issues at higher levels by labeling each chip with a type of thinking required. Magic markers can be used to label the chips. Labels might include: -new idea; -summary; -paraphrasing; -affirming. Students can then only spend their chips if they can contribute at the level of thinking, or using the strategy, that is printed on their remaining chips.

63.  Team Chants

The Steps: a). This strategy aims to get students supporting their cognitive growth through the use of kinesthetic and auditory means. b).  Small groups of students create chants and physical actions to help them with a memory task. Examples or cautions: Provide students with opportunities to present their chants and actions. Encourage a rap or stomp  (clapping, stomping, tapping, clapping) approach to get maximum participation.This can be adapted to any content.

64.  Team Interview

The Steps: a). This is a peer coaching strategy. b). Students are divided into homogeneous groups of four. c). Students are given material to learn and they coach each group member to learn it. d). Before some form of individual accountability is applied (e.g., test), students interview and question each group member to ensure their readiness for assessment. Examples or cautions: Teams should be taught to work toward a time limit for preparation for assessment.

65.  Teammates Consult

The Steps:  a). Students are divided into homogeneous groups of four. B). Each group table contains four sheets of paper and four pencils stored in a cup in the center of the table. c).The teacher poses a question and provides a pre-determined amount of time for students to discuss the question (e.g., one minute). D). Once the teacher gives a predetermined signal, students each take a pencil from the cup and write their individual answers. Examples or cautions: Use a consistent signal for identifying when student should move from group discussion to individual wiring tasks.

66.  Team Stand and Share

The Steps: a). The teacher assigns a complex task to a homogeneous team of 4. b). All students stand up.  c). The teacher leads sharing of ideas. As ideas are shared, students record information from all teams on their team’s record sheet. d). All team members sit down when they have shared all of their ideas. e). Once all students are sitting, students work on the development of a final answer for submission. Examples or cautions: This will work best with complex tasks that are multi-faceted.

67.  Team Statements

The Steps: a). This is a multi-level strategy for synthesizing information by having students state an opinion, discuss it in pairs, then present a written statement  (in turns) in their groups. b). Once individual written statements are all presented, students work in a whole group to write a group statement that incorporates all of the most important elements of individual statements. Examples or cautions: Teachers could ask group members to sign the final statement as a commitment to the incorporation of everyone’s original statements. This strategy could be applied to any content where analysis, synthesis, or evaluation of information is required.

68.  Team Word Web ( Mind Map)

The Steps:  a). Students work in homogeneous groups to brainstorm ideas on a single sheet of paper. Each student uses a different colour of marker to add their comments to the sheet to allow them to monitor their input into the group product. b). The central concept of the brainstorming is put into the center of the sheet and students build ideas and connections around the main idea. Examples or cautions: This can be applied to any topic or concept. It can be used as a pre-assessment of the topic or as a review of the topic near the end of the unit.

69.  Telephone

The Steps: The class is required to learn a concept or skill so that they can teach it to another student who is not present for the original instruction. The teacher can structure this so that one student agrees to be the person taught by the rest of the class. Examples or cautions: This helps students to learn the subtleties of the new topic and forces learning to a higher level of synthesis to prepare to teach it. This strategy can be applied to any skill or concept.

70.  Three Pair Share

The Steps: Students are required to explain their ideas to three other students in their group. Questions and responses of the group members should enrich each telling. Examples or cautions: This can be used to support students’ explanation of different examples of the same concept or skill (e.g., long division).

71.  Timed Pair Share

The Steps: A student works alone to create an answer and then partners with another student to share their answer. In turn, the partner shares with the first student. Time is limited by the teacher for each sharing session. Examples or cautions: Time limits on the sharing create a pressure to share efficiently and clearly so each student has to think through the important aspects of their answer before the timed sessions start

72.  Who Am I?

The Steps:  a). This strategy allows students to ask questions to use characteristics to determine the nature of an item. Students have a word taped on their backs and must circulate around the classroom to question others about what their word is by asking variations of the question “Am I…?”. b). Students are finished questioning each other student when they: 1). get a “no” answer; 2). get three “yes” answers in a row but still haven’t guessed who they are/ what their word is Circulation and questioning continues for a pre-set amount of time. Cautions: This is a good strategy for reviewing the content of a unit because each student could have a different major concept word taped to their backs. Example: word taped to the back is “pollution”. Questions that student might ask include: 1). Am I an animal?. 2). Am I scary?. 3). Am I big?. 4). Am I caused by someone else?. As students will each acquire their concept at different times during the designated questioning time, teachers should plan for a follow-up task that can be started by different individuals at different times ( e.g., “Once you have identified who you are, go to your seats and write a brief definition, or make a mind map, for your word”).

D.    Conclusion

Teacher often find that they can gain a clearer sense of direction and valuable feedback when they communicate and collaborate with other teachers who are also using cooperative learning. Beyond sharing practical and effective techniques, this can also lead to agreement about consistent and rigorous assessment of cooperative learning across classrooms.

This reading suggests that, through a variety of strategies, the active role of students in cooperative learning groups can be extended to student-generated evaluation criteria and to self and peer-evaluation. While shifting our students and ourselves away from a traditional dependency upon externally-generated feed-back and rewards, we are helping to move students towards becoming more autonomous, self-reflective, and responsible.

Finally, we should ask ourselves if we can use cooperative learning as one way of motivating students instead of the use of grades, starts, certificates, and other external rewards. Indeed, cooperative learning can be a way of restoring to students the inborn love of learning we humans are capable of enjoying.

E.     References :

1.      Brown, H. Douglas. 2000. Principles of Language Learning and Teaching. New York: Addison Wesley

2.      Freeman, Diane Larsen. 2000. Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

3.      Harmer, Jeremy. 1998. How to Teach English. Edinburg: Longman

4.      Harmer, Jeremy. 2008. The Practice of English Language Teaching. Edinburgh: Pearson Education Limited

5.      Isro, 2011. Skenario Pembelajaran Grammar dengan Teknik “Cooperative Learning”, Semarang: FBS-Unnes, Unpublished.

6.      Issy Yuliasari, Dr., M.Pd.  2011. Hand Out of Language Teaching Theories. Semarang: FBS-Unnes Press.

7.      Jacobs, george M., Gan Siowk Lee and Jessica Ball. 1997. Learning Cooperative Learning via Cooperative Learning, A Sourcebook of Lesson Plans for Teacher Education. Singapore: Kagan Sameo Regional Language Centre.

8.      Richard, Jack C. and Theodore S. Rodgers. 2001. Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

9.      Sharan, S. 1987. Jhon Dewey’s Philosophy of Education and Cooperative Learning. IASCE Newsletter 8.

10.  Slavin, R.E. 1990. Cooperative Learning: theory, research, and practice. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.

11.  Turney, C, et.al. 1983. Sydney Micro Skills Redeveloped. Adelaide:Griffin Press Limited.

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Biografi Penulis :

Isro lahir di Bantarkawung Brebes, 14 Juni 1974. Lulus dari Jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa Arab (PBA) Fakultas Tarbiyah IAIN Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta (2000), mendapat pelatihan tambahan bahasa di Pare (2000), mengikuti Program Beasiswa Sarjana Strata-2 (PBPT) Jurusan Pemikiran Pendidikan Islam (PPI) Fakultas Tarbiyah IAIN Walisongo Semarang (2002), lulus dari program Magister pernah mengajar pada Yayasan Syabah Kota Kinabalu Malayasia (2004), Dosen Tetap Program Studi Pendidikan Guru Sekolah Dasar (PGSD) STKIP Islam Bumiayu (2009 sampai sekarang). Dari sejumlah artikel yang ditulisnya, di antaranya  ada yang sudah diterbitkan yaitu: Al-Insan Al-Kamil Menurut Al-Jili, dalam Jurnal Studi Islam, PPS IAIN Walisongo (2001), Memahami Cinta (Kajian Cinta secara Islami), dalam Majalah MGP (Media Guru dan Pelajar) (2006), Peran Agama dalam Pendidikan, dalam Majalah MGP (Media Guru dan Pelajar) (2006), Pendidikan Anak Dalam Perspektif Pemikiran  Muhammad Quthub, Jurnal PGSD STKIP (2012).

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[1]George M. Jacobs, Gan Siowk Lee and Jessica Ball. 1997. Learning Cooperative Learning via Cooperative Learning, A Sourcebook of Lesson Plans for Teacher Education. Singapore: Kagan Sameo Regional Language Centre, P. 16.

[2] Ibid.

[3] George M. Jacobs, et.al., ... P. 17.

[4] Sharan, S. 1987. Jhon Dewey’s Philosophy of Education and Cooperative Learning. IASCE Newsletter 8. P. 3. In George M. Jacobs, et.al., ... P. 30.

[5] George M. Jacobs, et.al., ... P. 31. See R.E. Slavin, 1987. Cooperative Learning: Where behavioral and humanistic approaches to classroom motivation meet. The Elementary School Journal 88. p. 29.

[6] George M. Jacobs, et.al., ... P. 30-2. See M. Deutsch. 1949. Theory of co-operation and competition. Human Relation-1, p. 129.

[7] George M. Jacobs, et.al., ... P. 31-2 and p. 22-3. See V.I. Hythecker, D.F. Dansereau, and TR. Rocklin. 1988. An Analysis of the Process Influencing the Structured dyadic learning environment. Educational Psychologist 23.p. 23.

[8] Taken from various of Sources: 1. Jacobs, george M., Gan Siowk Lee and Jessica Ball. 1997. Learning Cooperative Learning via Cooperative Learning, A Sourcebook of Lesson Plans for Teacher Education. Singapore: Kagan Sameo Regional Language Centre. 2. Issy Yuliasari, Dr., M.Pd.  2011. Hand Out of Language Teaching Theories. Semarang: FBS-Unnes Press. 3. Slavin, R.E. 1990. Cooperative Learning: theory, research, and practice. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.