Everything in learning has a
connection. Whether a skill is built upon
or connected to other skills at the same time, it is the “intersection of prior
knowledge, experience, perception, reality, comprehension, and flexibility that
learning occurs” (Orey, 2007, p. 1).
The
cooperative learning theory is a “methodology that employs a variety of
learning activities to improve students understanding of a subject by using a
structured approach which involves a series of steps, requiring students to
create, analyze, and apply concepts” (Kagan, 1999).
Due
to the fact that cooperative learning has similar characteristics to Vygotsky,
Piaget, and Kohlberg’s theories building on prior knowledge and real life
experiences can help students make the necessary connections thus storing
information in their long term memory.
By “combining teamwork and individual accountability, students’ work
toward acquiring both knowledge and social skills” (Orey, 2007, p. 3).
By
using cooperative learning in a classroom it can create an “atmosphere of
achievement” (Panitz, 1996), where students can get a “deeper understanding of
the material and more potential to retain the material” (Orey, 2007, p.
3). After all, the whole point of any
instruction is for the students to remember the information and if the process
of learning was enjoyable they are more likely to remember it.
For this weeks application, we were asked to create a voice thread. The link to my voice thread is https://voicethread.com/share/3479471/
For this weeks application, we were asked to create a voice thread. The link to my voice thread is https://voicethread.com/share/3479471/
Resources:
Orey,
M. (Ed.). (2001). Emerging perspectives on learning, teaching, and
technology. Retrieved from http://projects.coe.uga.edu/epltt/index.php?title=Main_Page
Kagan, S. Educational Leadership
(Jan. 1990). Retrieved September 2, 2003 , from: http://home.capecod.net/~panitz/tedasrticles/coopdeinition.htm
Panitz, T. (1996). A definition of collaborative vs. cooperative
learning. Retrieved June 28, 2012 , from: http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/deliberations/collaborative-learning/panitz-paper.cfm
Hi Melissa,
ReplyDeleteYou mentioned Vygotsky and his connection to cooperative learning. His phrase "zone of proximal development" was something that took me a while to understand, but now that I understand it better, it plays well into cooperative learning. The zone of proximal development is the term for the range of tasks that the student is able to complete (Lev Vygotsky, n.d.). The lower end of the zone is those tasks that the student can complete on their own, while the upper end is those that they need with, from a "more knowledgeable other." When students work together, often one of them can serve as the more knowledgeable other. That, combined with the power of episodic memories, makes cooperative learning extremely effective.
Jeremy
Lev vygotsky. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved October 5, 2012 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lev_Vygotsky
Jeremy,
ReplyDeleteCould not agree more! I think that by implementing social and cooperative learning also develops a "social support system for students" (Kessler & McCleod, 1985).
Resources:
Kessler, R. & McCleod, J. (1985). Social support and mental health in community samples. In Cohen and Syme (Eds.), Social Support and Health. New York: Academic Press. Retrieved September 2, 2003, from: http://home.capecod.net/~tpanitz.tedsarticles/coopbenefits.htm