Three Common Cooperative Learning Structures
Look at the next example in the book and think about the advantages and disadvantages of the solutions which Clarkson proposes. Think about their economic feasibility. Write down your ideas and then compare them with one of the other students in you r usual group of four. Make sure you justify the reasons for your answers especially if there is any disagreement with your partner. Once you are satisfied that you understand your partner's choices, you don't have to agree with them. I'll ask you to sha re your answers with the rest of the class so that we can come up with the main advantages and disadvantages of the proposed solutions.
Students may use Think - Pair - Share to reach a consensus; however, this versatile cooperative learning structure can be used in other ways:
pairs problem solving: two students work together to solve a math problem, for example;
thinking aloud pairs problem solving: a variation where one student in the pair listens to the other as s/he talks through the solution to the problem; and
peer teaching: students teach each other the material.
Similar to the Think- Pair- Share structure, Think- Pair - Square asks students, once they have completed their assigned pair task, to join with another pair to compare their conclusions. The instructions to the newly formed "squares" may be to reach a consensus within their groups or to explain their conclusions to the other pair who has joined them.
In groups of four, students are assigned a "chunk" of material or a multi-faceted problem. Each member of the group then selects or is assigned a particular aspect of the problem on which to focus.
Next, students move into expert groups, again four students, which consist of students who are responsible for mastering the same material. Students may be given the necessary material at this point or may have been responsible for learning it beforeha nd. In these expert groups, the students ensure that they all understand their portion of the material and also know how they will teach it to their original group of four.
Students then regroup into their original foursomes, and each student teaches his or her material to the others. Individual mastery of the entire topic can be evaluated through quizzes.
This technique mirrors clearly the characteristics of cooperative learning - structured groupings, clear purpose and instructions, the balance of group interdependence with individual responsibility, and the development of communication skills.
Adapted from Crowley, M. and Dunn, K (1993). Cooperative Learning at Dalhousie, Workshop Materials.