CooperativePrinciples


 * Principles of Cooperative Learning**

"Oh! I don't need this in-service! I use Cooperative Learning all the time. I've been putting kids in groups for thirty years! And I don't do it often either. Kids get off task, the best kids do the work for everyone else in the group and I could teach it faster with a lecture!"

How often have we heard such lamentations. Putting students in groups is not the same as using cooperative learning groups. Putting students in groups without applying the essential principles of cooperative learning is a bit like trying to bring democracy to a nation accustomed to dictatorship. The American student is accustomed to an educational system that is individualistic and competitive. Students who succeed in the K-12 system are conditioned to compete as individuals. While business and industry have asked educators to focus more on teaching the basics to our students, we have also been asked to produce students capable of working collaboratively with others in the workplace.

There are several basic principles of cooperative learning: You can have **PIGS** if you study the Johnson's model or you can have **PIES** if you study Kagan's model. Or we can invent our own acronym and compete with the existing models.


 * **Johnson & Johnson** || **Kagan** ||
 * **P**ositive Interdependence
 * I**ndividual Accountability
 * G**roup Interaction
 * S**ocial Skills || **P**ositive Interdependence
 * I**ndividual Accountability
 * E**qual Participation
 * S**imultaneous Interaction ||

Stephen Covey's model of personal change, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, notes the importance of moving from dependence to independence to interdependence. The student in the cooperative classroom must be able to achieve the same growth. Interdependence exists when students perceive that they need each other in order to complete the group's task (sink or swim together). We can tweak interdependence through joint rewards, mutual goals, shared resources and assigned roles. Each student's performance is frequently assessed and the results are given to the group and individual. Teachers may effect this element by giving individual tests or calling on individuals within the group to demonstrate a skill or respond to questions. Students promote each other's learning by helping, sharing, and encouraging efforts to learn. Students explain, discuss, and teach what they know to classmates. Teachers must teach these skills in order for groups to function effectively. Collaborative skills include leadership, decision-making, trust-building, communication and conflict management.
 * Positive Interdependence**
 * Individual Accountability**
 * Group Interaction**
 * Social Skills**

This information was retrieved from [|http://www.excel.net/~ssmith/Desktop%20Folder/alc.html] in spring 2002. The site no longer exists. If anyone has knowledge of the original author, I would love to give credit where credit is due.