Reference and Education > Cooperative Learning is Potentially Detrimental to Sustainable Academic Performance
0
Reviews [ add review ],
Article rating : 1.00, 1 votes. Author : Leanne Hoagland-Smith
Much has been written about cooperative learning and how it enhances overall academic performance. That is true if the following competencies are present:
- Effective communication skills both verbal and non-verbal
- Teamwork skills
- Focus or mental concentration skills
- Goal planning and goal achievement skills
- Higher order thinking skills including decision making and problem solving
- Emotional intelligence
- Positive self-worth and self-identify
- Age appropriate maturity and cognitive development
Upon reviewing this list, what skills are atually taught and then further developed in the elementary and middle school grades? During the last 5 year in working to develop student leadership skills and interacting with 500 students, I can absolutely state with 100% certainty that the students I have worked with from urban to private schools have never received any teaching or training regarding the first 4 skills within the schools’ instructional day. The teaching of the fifth skill is questionable. In fact, most high school students do not have the opportunity to consistently develop these first five skills except for communication and that is if the students are in speech and debate.
Yet, teachers continue to use this learning strategy and find themselves focusing more on classroom management and less on engaged learning. Even educational researchers such as Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T., & Holubec, E. J. (1993) in their book Cooperation in the Classroom discuss the necessity to have specific skill sets in place. The end result is that desired result of cooperative learning where everyone works to achieve a goal is not realized.
So, what is the solution? First, let’s address the real problem preventing performance and that is the missing skill sets. Whatever the reason or reasons, many students today do not have the skill sets of yesterday and complaining about this doesn’t address the problem and wastes valuable time. Let’s accept what is, is and move forward.
Second, it is time to return to rows where students are forced to interact with the back of the student in front of them. By removing the non-verbal communication, this will improve the discipline environment within the classroom. Explain to the students that cooperative learning is a privilege and that for it to be effective requires specific knowledge and skills from each team member. Many students have been conditioned to accept cooperative learning as a social interaction and do not realize that this is a learning strategy to improve their academic performance.
Third, share with the students that during the next few weeks you and the students are going to develop those missing skill sets. Then integrate those desired skills into your daily lesson plans. Plan for numerous opportunities for repetition.
Fourth, reinstate cooperative learning with specific learning objectives only after each student has demonstrated the required skills. If the learning strategy is not delivering the desired result, then disband the groups and reassess the performance problem. Remember, if the process or the strategy does not deliver the results then disband the process and construct a new one. Otherwise, you may be repeating Einstein's definition of insanity -- doing the same thing over and over again hoping for different results.
By taking this approach, all shareholders including the students, teachers, administrators and parents should begin to see enhanced academic performance. And what is even more important, the students will have the skill sets that colleges such as Michigan State University say are continually missing in college graduates entering the workforce.
Leanne Hoagland-Smith, President of ADVANCED SYSTEMS, works with large urban to private schools, certified staff, support staff, students and parents to improve performance in 30 to 180 days. Using proven tools, we can quickly and affordably identify the gaps in YOUR organization, provide you with an Action Plan that you can easily implement along with developmental programs from executive leadership to student leadership.
What would the value to you be if everyone within your school all rowed in the same direction with energy and enthusiasm?
ADVANCED SYSTEMS
Connecting Passion to Purpose to DOUBLE Performance in Real Time
Article reviews
Post your review
[ Note : no HTML/URLs - will removed automatically ]
More articles from Reference and Education
|
