Module 4 – Week 11: Cooperative Learning Strategies

25 question-and-answer flashcards covering the need for diverse strategies, definitions and features of cooperative learning, its benefits, conditions for effectiveness, and teacher roles.

According to Luke (2014), why must teachers develop a wide repertoire of teaching strategies?

Because student variability in culture, age, readiness, subjects, skills and knowledge means no single strategy is effective for every context.

What did Louden et al. (2006) find about the range of strategies used by most early-childhood teachers?

Most teachers relied on a limited set of common strategies, often those they experienced themselves as students.

How does students’ progress relate to a teacher’s use of multiple strategies, according to Louden et al. (2006)?

Children make the most progress when teachers employ a wide variety of strategies with consistency, skill and subtlety.

State two reasons effective teachers tailor strategies to learner readiness.

Not all students learn the same content, at the same time, or in the same way; varied strategies address these differences.

List four criteria for selecting appropriate teaching and learning (T&L) strategies.

Relevance to content/learning goals, relevance to all students, developmental and cultural appropriateness, suitability to available resources/space/time.

Give three examples of social/interactive T&L strategies mentioned in the lecture.

Think-pair-share; carousel brainstorming; expert groups (jigsaw).

Which category of strategies—teacher-centred or student-centred—naturally aligns with cooperative learning?

Student-centred strategies.

Define collaboration in the educational context.

Working together with others to achieve a single shared goal.

Define cooperation in the educational context.

Working with others to achieve one’s own goals as part of a common goal.

Provide Brody & Davidson’s (1998) key idea of cooperative learning.

Students work in groups toward a common goal so that success requires interdependent behaviour while holding individuals accountable.

Why is simply seating students in groups NOT cooperative learning?

Because cooperative learning requires structured interdependence, individual accountability, and teacher monitoring, not just physical grouping.

Name the three structural features the teacher designs for effective cooperative learning groups.

Heterogeneous membership, shared leadership, and integration of academic plus group-work skills.

Identify three academic or personal benefits of cooperative learning.

Higher academic achievement; development of higher-order thinking; improved social skills (others acceptable: intrinsic motivation, retention, positive attitudes).

According to the ‘learning retention’ percentages, what activity level provides about 90 % retention?

Teaching the material to someone else.

List the five conditions required for effective cooperative learning.

Positive interdependence; face-to-face interaction; individual & group accountability; interpersonal & small-group skills; group processing.

What is positive interdependence?

A perception that each group member’s effort is indispensable to group success; everyone is ‘all in it together.’

Give two behaviours that exemplify face-to-face interaction in cooperative learning.

Orally explaining solutions; checking peers’ understanding (also acceptable: teaching knowledge, discussing concepts, linking past and present learning).

Why should cooperative groups be small (ideally 2–4 members)?

Smaller groups increase individual accountability and reduce ‘logs, hogs, or cogs’ (non-contributors, dominators, passengers).

List four interpersonal or small-group skills that must be explicitly taught for cooperative learning to succeed.

Leadership, decision-making, communication, conflict management (others acceptable: trust-building, encouraging others, whole-body listening).

What is the purpose of group processing at the end of a cooperative task?

To let members evaluate how effectively they worked, identify helpful/unhelpful behaviours, and decide what to improve next time.

Name three specific teacher actions that support cooperative learning during a lesson.

Arrange heterogeneous groups; teach necessary social skills; monitor and provide feedback (others: set tasks and roles, facilitate group reflection).

Which Australian Professional Practice Standards directly align with using cooperative learning strategies?

Standard 3.1 (Use teaching strategies) and Standard 4.2 (Manage classroom activities).

Explain the difference between ‘logs,’ ‘hogs,’ and ‘cogs’ in group accountability.

Logs don’t contribute, hogs dominate, and cogs rely on others without meaningful input.

Why should teachers allocate specific roles within cooperative groups?

Roles help distribute responsibility, ensure individual accountability, and prevent dominance or passivity.

How does cooperative learning foster higher-order thinking skills?

By requiring students to explain, question, teach peers, and solve problems collaboratively, which engages analysis, synthesis, and evaluation.