Cooperative Learning
Games
Time Needed:
Will vary depending on the game
Room Arrangement:
Will vary depending on the game
Materials:
Game materials (will vary based on the game), score board (optional)
Process Directions:
When:
Games are a great way to review material that students have already learned. They are also valuable when students or the teacher need to be woken up or reengaged. Games can be incorporated into both the language and the math classrooms in a plethora of ways. Competitive games especially create
Source:
McFarlane, A., Sparrowhawk, A., Heald, Y. (2002). Report on educational use of games: An exploration by TEEM of the contribution which games can make to the education process. Retrieved from http://www.kennisnet.nl/uploads/tx_kncontentelements/games_in_education_full1.pdf
Time Needed:
Will vary depending on the game
Room Arrangement:
Will vary depending on the game
Materials:
Game materials (will vary based on the game), score board (optional)
Process Directions:
- Announce the day before (or even earlier if it is a really epic game!) that the following class period the class will be competing in Game X. Game X will in some way or another require students to utilize their knowledge of materials learned in class.
- Provide students with and/or direct them to the materials that they already have in order to prepare themselves for this epic competition!
- On the day of the competition, after modeling and guided practice has occurred, break the students into two (or more) teams.
- Before handing out materials, explain and model the rules of the game, making the automatic-end-of game rules especially clear to the students.
- Ask students to make explicit the abstract connections that exist between the game and the material being studied, if such abstract connections exist in the game.
- Hand out materials.
- Play the game!
- Determine an academic related prize and/or punishment for winners and losers. For example: every question students get wrong they must complete a remediation assignment for.
When:
Games are a great way to review material that students have already learned. They are also valuable when students or the teacher need to be woken up or reengaged. Games can be incorporated into both the language and the math classrooms in a plethora of ways. Competitive games especially create
Source:
McFarlane, A., Sparrowhawk, A., Heald, Y. (2002). Report on educational use of games: An exploration by TEEM of the contribution which games can make to the education process. Retrieved from http://www.kennisnet.nl/uploads/tx_kncontentelements/games_in_education_full1.pdf
Think-write-pair-share
Time Needed:
5-10 minutes.
Room Arrangement:
Elbow partners
Materials:
Paper and pencil, white board or document camera.
Process Directions:
When:
For clarifying new concepts and digging deeper into new topics. Think-write-pair-share also helps create an environment with higher level, well thought out discussion in which everyone is able to participate. In math this is an effective way to help student practice new concepts while not having to do it completely on their own. By working together students can also sharpen each other’s understanding and learn from one another.
Source:
Kagan, S. (1989). The structural approach to cooperative learning. Association for supervision and curriculum development. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/ASCD/pdf/journals/ed_lead/el_198912_kagan.pdf
Time Needed:
5-10 minutes.
Room Arrangement:
Elbow partners
Materials:
Paper and pencil, white board or document camera.
Process Directions:
- During instruction, after having given sufficient input, the teacher will pose a question to students, or ask them to solve a problem.
- Students will individually think about this question and write about it or solve it in their personal journal for several minutes.
- Elbow partners will then compare answers and/or share what they wrote and discuss similarities and differences, making changes as necessary.
- Finally, the floor will open for discussion time as students either share their thoughts or solutions and the whole class (with the help of the teacher, if necessary) comes to consensus.
- If it is a math problem, the correct, worked-out solution should be written on the board or displayed using the document camera.
When:
For clarifying new concepts and digging deeper into new topics. Think-write-pair-share also helps create an environment with higher level, well thought out discussion in which everyone is able to participate. In math this is an effective way to help student practice new concepts while not having to do it completely on their own. By working together students can also sharpen each other’s understanding and learn from one another.
Source:
Kagan, S. (1989). The structural approach to cooperative learning. Association for supervision and curriculum development. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/ASCD/pdf/journals/ed_lead/el_198912_kagan.pdf
Pair’s Check
Time Needed:
20 minutes
Room Arrangement:
Table groupings of four
Materials:
Problem sheet, writing utensils
Process Directions:
When:
Pair’s Check is an excellent activity for allowing students to practice new concepts in a supported environment, while learning from one another and becoming fluent solving problems. The role of the coach requires them to not only verbalize their thinking, a very valuable skills, but also to clarify their thinking. This could be adapted to a language learning classroom for translations activities.
Source:
Kagan, S. (1989). The structural approach to cooperative learning. Association for supervision and curriculum development. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/ASCD/pdf/journals/ed_lead/el_198912_kagan.pdf
Time Needed:
20 minutes
Room Arrangement:
Table groupings of four
Materials:
Problem sheet, writing utensils
Process Directions:
- Have students divide into groups of four.
- Designate groups of two within the groups of four.
- Within pairs, students will switch off between the role of coach and the role of problem solver. Coaches are to explain to the problem solver exactly what they should write down and do in order to solve the problem. Problem solvers should follow the directions of the coach in solving the problem.
- Coach and problem solver will switch roles every other problem.
- After completing every two problems, pairs within the same grouping of four should check with one another to see if they both got the same answer and reconcile any differences that may occur.
When:
Pair’s Check is an excellent activity for allowing students to practice new concepts in a supported environment, while learning from one another and becoming fluent solving problems. The role of the coach requires them to not only verbalize their thinking, a very valuable skills, but also to clarify their thinking. This could be adapted to a language learning classroom for translations activities.
Source:
Kagan, S. (1989). The structural approach to cooperative learning. Association for supervision and curriculum development. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/ASCD/pdf/journals/ed_lead/el_198912_kagan.pdf
Inside Outside Circle
Time Needed:
10-15 minutes
Room Arrangement:
Sufficient floor space to stand in circles
Materials:
None except for personal notes
Process Directions:
When:
This could be used as a low pressure way to practice speaking in the target language in language learning classrooms. In this way complex cultural issues could be discussed as well. In math classes the Inside Outside Circle could be used for circulating math competitions.
Source:
Kagan, S. (1989). The structural approach to cooperative learning. Association for supervision and curriculum development. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/ASCD/pdf/journals/ed_lead/el_198912_kagan.pdf
Time Needed:
10-15 minutes
Room Arrangement:
Sufficient floor space to stand in circles
Materials:
None except for personal notes
Process Directions:
- Have half of the class stand in a circle facing the outside of the circle. Arrange the other half of the class in another concentric circle such that each person on the outer circle is facing inward toward someone on the inside of the circle.
- Pose a question and allow people facing each other to discuss it together for a few moments. The person on the inside circle should speak first, then the person on the outside.
- Rotate the outer circle over one person and either pose a new question to discuss or have them discuss the same question with this new person.
When:
This could be used as a low pressure way to practice speaking in the target language in language learning classrooms. In this way complex cultural issues could be discussed as well. In math classes the Inside Outside Circle could be used for circulating math competitions.
Source:
Kagan, S. (1989). The structural approach to cooperative learning. Association for supervision and curriculum development. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/ASCD/pdf/journals/ed_lead/el_198912_kagan.pdf
Information Gap Activities
Time Needed:
15-20 minutes.
Room Arrangement:
Should provide sufficient space for students to move around and interact with others.
Materials:
Relevant worksheets, writing utensil, props appropriate to the activity
Process Directions:
When:
Information gap activities create realistic and motivating reasons to speak in the target language since they mimic one of the real reasons why we ever communicate in the first place: because we need to find something out that we cannot know on our own, or we wish to give information to someone else that they do not have. These activities can also be used as a fun form of math games by creating several math problems given to students who are sitting in a line. In order to solve each subsequent question, students will need to receive the answer from the equation of the person before them. Any mistakes in the line will result in a final answer that is incorrect. This game is made even more fun with the addition of competition.
Source:
Doughty, C., Pica, T. (1989). “Information gap” tasks: do they facilitate second language acquisition? [abstract]. TESOL quarterly, 20(2). Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2307/3586546/abstract
Time Needed:
15-20 minutes.
Room Arrangement:
Should provide sufficient space for students to move around and interact with others.
Materials:
Relevant worksheets, writing utensil, props appropriate to the activity
Process Directions:
- Teach and review the language or problem solving skills necessary to function in the activity.
- Split students into groups such that each group of students has information that is different from the information of the other groups.
- Create a reason a compelling reason for each group to need to gain the information that the other groups has, and explain to them that they may only do so through speaking in the target language (for example, everyone has name on their own back and they are trying to figure out whose name is on their back. Everyone else knows but them. Students must walk around and ask each other questions to find out more about the description of the person on their back, using the target language).
When:
Information gap activities create realistic and motivating reasons to speak in the target language since they mimic one of the real reasons why we ever communicate in the first place: because we need to find something out that we cannot know on our own, or we wish to give information to someone else that they do not have. These activities can also be used as a fun form of math games by creating several math problems given to students who are sitting in a line. In order to solve each subsequent question, students will need to receive the answer from the equation of the person before them. Any mistakes in the line will result in a final answer that is incorrect. This game is made even more fun with the addition of competition.
Source:
Doughty, C., Pica, T. (1989). “Information gap” tasks: do they facilitate second language acquisition? [abstract]. TESOL quarterly, 20(2). Retrieved from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.2307/3586546/abstract
Gallery Walk
Time Needed:
30-45 minutes
Room Arrangement:
Table groups or desk groups of four
Materials:
Chart or poster paper, markers and tape
Process Directions:
When:
This could be a fun way to work on solving problems in math and in language learning that are extremely complex and could be made easier by the input of several brains. This strategy could also be used as a way to brainstorm fun ways to remember those hard-to remember things, and then share those fun memory tricks with others in both math and language classrooms.
Source:
Gregory, G. H., & Kuzmich, L. (2007). Teacher teams that get results: 61 strategies for sustaining and renewing professional learning communities. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Time Needed:
30-45 minutes
Room Arrangement:
Table groups or desk groups of four
Materials:
Chart or poster paper, markers and tape
Process Directions:
- Teach the skills necessary to complete the task
- Have each table group select a problem to solve from a group of problems, all of which are at an advanced level of application (for language learning, this could instead be a long passage to translate or a tough cultural point to discuss).
- Each group will brainstorm a list of possible strategies for solving and solution(s).
- Groups will then hang up their charts around the room.
- Students will circulate around the room with a marker and notebook in hand, adding to other groups’ charts and/or writing down notes of things that are personally useful.
- To wrap up, the original group should review new suggestions and reevaluate their problem before sharing out with the entire class.
When:
This could be a fun way to work on solving problems in math and in language learning that are extremely complex and could be made easier by the input of several brains. This strategy could also be used as a way to brainstorm fun ways to remember those hard-to remember things, and then share those fun memory tricks with others in both math and language classrooms.
Source:
Gregory, G. H., & Kuzmich, L. (2007). Teacher teams that get results: 61 strategies for sustaining and renewing professional learning communities. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
Socratic Seminar
Time Needed:
30-45 minutes
Room Arrangement:
See attached hand out for diagram and description of various room arrnagements.
Materials:
Text for reference, personal notes, paper and writing utensil for writing down interesting points of discussion.
Process Directions:
See attached handout for explicit directions on Socratic Seminar processes.
When:
Socratic Seminars are valuable tools for analyzing texts and discussing complex, often controversial or open-ended questions on a deeper level. In a Spanish classroom this type of discussion could be used when discussing the literary elements and symbols of a book written in Spanish. It could also be used to discuss controversial world issues that relate to Spanish-speakers.
Source:
Avid: Decades of College Dreams. (2010). Marking the text [PDF document].Retrieved from http://www.santeefalcons.org/apps/download/Qc101URJbVZajxNp3vVZnm5eacpjdh6cGkpxp4f4mPwiBuxY.pdf/Socratic%20Seminar%20Handouts.pdf
Time Needed:
30-45 minutes
Room Arrangement:
See attached hand out for diagram and description of various room arrnagements.
Materials:
Text for reference, personal notes, paper and writing utensil for writing down interesting points of discussion.
Process Directions:
See attached handout for explicit directions on Socratic Seminar processes.
When:
Socratic Seminars are valuable tools for analyzing texts and discussing complex, often controversial or open-ended questions on a deeper level. In a Spanish classroom this type of discussion could be used when discussing the literary elements and symbols of a book written in Spanish. It could also be used to discuss controversial world issues that relate to Spanish-speakers.
Source:
Avid: Decades of College Dreams. (2010). Marking the text [PDF document].Retrieved from http://www.santeefalcons.org/apps/download/Qc101URJbVZajxNp3vVZnm5eacpjdh6cGkpxp4f4mPwiBuxY.pdf/Socratic%20Seminar%20Handouts.pdf