Cooperative Learning

“Jigsaw, Numbered Heads Together, Think Pair Share/Square and Student Team-Achievement Divisions (STAD)”

1.      Introduction to Cooperative Learning

Cooperative learning refers to a variety of teaching method in which the students work in small groups to help one another learn academic context (Slavin, 1995). According to Jacob (1999), cooperative learning is a diverse group of instructional methods in which small groups of students work together and aid each other in completing academic tasks. Based on those definitions, it can be underlined that cooperative learning is a kind of teaching method where the students work together in a pair or in groups with heterogeneous level to help each other to learn academic context. Cooperative learning was firstly promoted by scholars from social science. For example, Slavin and his colleagues developed the Student Team Learning methods from motivational theory in psychology. David and Roger developed the Learning Together method from social psychological theories.

The idea of cooperative learning came during the midcentury when the school desegregation has been one of the most important and controversial issues on the American school. In most schools, all black, white, and Hispanic students are integrated. At that time, it was assumed that desegregation would improve relations between different ethnic backgrounds. Yet, all too often, the students remain much more likely to have friends of their own ethnic than to make many cross-ethnic choices (Gerard and Miller, 1975). The traditional technique cannot overcome this problem since in traditional technique of teaching the interaction between students of different ethnic groups is typically competitive and superficial. Black, Anglo, white, Hispanic, and other groups compete for grades or for teachers approval. Therefore, cooperative learning is developed to solve that problem. Studies done in classroom containing students from diverse ethnic backgrounds show that cooperative learning can in fact have a profound impact on intergroup relations (Slavin).

2.      Kind of Cooperative Learning Techniques

There are more than 200 different techniques of cooperative learning that have already developed by experts. Each technique can be modified by teachers and students to create new versions. Further, educators can use their knowledge of cooperative learning principles to create their own entirely new techniques. The following are four techniques of cooperative learning commonly used by teachers in teaching English, i.e. Jigsaw, Numbered Heads Together, Think Pair Share, and Student Teams-Achievement Divisions (STAD).

2.1. Jigsaw Technique

Jigsaw technique was developed by Elliot Aronson and his colleagues (1978).  In it, the students work in the same four or five-member heterogeneously. Just as in a jigsaw puzzle, each piece-each student’s part- is essential for the completion and full understanding of the final product. Below are some steps that can be followed in order to apply jigsaw technique in the classroom.

1.      Step 1 Forming home teams

Divide the students into 4 person of a group. This group becomes their home teams. Each person of the group has a different letter A, B, C, D. Each receives the piece from the handout or material corresponding with their letter, e.g. students who are “A” letter get handout A.

2.      Step 2 Forming expert team

Each person leaves their home team and forms groups which consist of the students who have the same letter. This is their expert team. The expert team’s task has two parts – (a) to learn their components well; and, (b) to be ready to teach when they return to their home team.

3.      Step 3 Experts teach their home teams

After discussing with the experts group about the same material, the students then return to their home teams. In this home teams, each student has to give explanation about his/her piece to other members.

4.      Step 4 Assessment

At the end of the session, after all the students have finished their presentation and discussion, the teacher gives a quiz or other assessment on all topics. Although students study together in a group, they may not help each other during the quizzes. Every student must know the material. 

2.2. Numbered Heads Together

Numbered-Heads-Together is an approach developed by Spencer Kagen to involve more students in reviewing the material covered in the lesson and check their understanding of lesson content. The implementation of cooperative learning-type Numbered Heads Together, simply described as follows:

·       Step 1. Preparation. At this stage the teacher prepares a lesson plan by making cooperative learning model according to the type of Numbered Heads Together.

·       Step 2. Formation of groups. Carried out group formation is the second step. The teacher divides the students into heterogeneous groups consisting of 3-5 students. Teachers give a number to each student in the group and name the group. The group was formed by a mixture of in terms of social background, race, ethnicity, gender and learning ability.

·       Step 3. Each group must have a textbook or handbook. Groups must have a reference(s) book or study materials to facilitate students in completing the activity sheet or problems given by the teacher.

·       Step 4. Discussion of problems. Activity sheets distributed to students as a material to be studied. Students then think and work together. Furthermore, each member of the group they should know the answer to the question that is on the sheet or activity that has been given by the teacher. Questions may vary from those that are specific to general. It also can be conducted orally; the teacher gives the questions orally then the students should answer directly without writing the answers.

·       Step 5. Call the number of members for giving answers. The teacher then calls a number of students from each group. Each of group has to work together to answer the questions correctly.

·       Step 6.Gives conclusions. Teachers with students concluded the final answer of all questions related to the material presented. 

2.3. Think Pair Share/Square

This method was developed by Frank Lyman of the University of Maryland. This method encourages individual participation and is applicable across all grade levels and class sizes. According to Pimm (987), the think pair share strategy increases the kinds of personal communications that are necessary for students to internally process, organize, and retain ideas. Students think trough questions using three distinct steps:

1.      Think: students think independently about the questions that has been posed, forming of their own ideas.

2.      Pair: students are grouped in pairs to discuss their thoughts. This step allows students to articulate ideas and to consider those of others.

3.      Share: students are asked to share their ideas to the whole class.

The think-pair-square technique is almost the same as think-pair- share. What makes it different are in the way how the students share the ideas or answers to the class. While the think-pair-share the students share the ideas to the whole class, the think-pair-square technique shares with other group – pair in pair.

2.4. Students Teams-Achievement Divisions (STAD)

This method was firstly devised by Robert Slavin and his associates at Johns Hopkins University. In STAD, students are assigned to four-member learning teams that are mixed in performance level, gender, and ethnicity. The teacher presents a lesson, and then students work within their teams to make sure all team members have mastered the lesson. Then, all students take individual quizzes on the material, at which they may not help one another. Each student’s score on the quiz are used to calculate how many points the students earned for their team. The points of each team member are summed and count for rewards.

3.      The Advantages of Applying Cooperative Learning

There are many reasons that cooperative learning is entering the mainstream of educational practice. One is the extraordinary research supporting the use of cooperative learning to increase student achievement, as well as such other outcomes as improved intergroup relations, acceptance of academically handicapped classmates, and increased self-esteem. Another reason is the growing realization that students need to learn to think, to solve problems, and to integrate and apply knowledge and skills, and that cooperative learning is an excellent means to that end. Cooperative learning can work well in both homogeneous and heterogeneous classes; it is especially needed in classes with a wide range of performance levels. 

Cooperative learning can help make diversity a resource rather than a problem. As schools are moving away from ability grouping toward more heterogeneous grouping, cooperative learning becomes increasingly important. Further, cooperative learning has wonderful benefits for relationship between students of different ethnic backgrounds and between mainstreamed special education students and their classmates, adding another critical reason to use cooperative learning in diverse classrooms. In addition to that, cooperative learning also reduces the negative competition among the students. Moreover, research over the last twenty years has identified cooperative learning methods that can be used effectively at every grade level to teach every type of content, from math to reading to writing of language, from basic skills to complex problem solving.

4.      Problems with Cooperative Learning

As we begin to use cooperative learning, we may experience a few problems. The following are the discussions about those problems and solution suggested (adopted from Slavin, 1995):

1.      Failure to get along. This problem often comes up in the first week or two of cooperative learning because teams usually consist of the most unlikely combination possible. Students differ from one another sex, ethnicity, and academic performance. The primary solution for this problem is time. Some students will be unhappy about their team assignment initially, but when they get their first team scores and realize that they really are a team and need to cooperate to be successful, they will find a way to get along. This is way it is important not to allow students to change teams except in extreme circumstances; students should be focusing their attention on making their teams work, not getting out of them.

2.      Misbehavior. When the students misbehave during the teaching and learning activities, such as being too noisy or not focusing on the team, the teacher has to do something to overcome it. One example is by giving zero-noise signal to ask the students to the zero point of noise meaning they have to be silent. Another example is by praising a group which has good behavior.

3.      Absences. Students’ absenteeism can be a major problem in a cooperative learning class, because students depend on one another to study together and to contribute points to the team. The solution, however, is relatively simple in classrooms where absenteeism is not extremely high. When students miss a quiz or tasks, we may divide the team’s score by the number of students present, to avoid penalizing the team for having an absent member.

4.      Ineffective use of team practice time. If the students do not use their time in team practice effectively, we may impose some structures on the team practice sessions to be sure that they do. An example is by providing enough worksheet per team so that the students have to work together.

5.      Too wide a range of performance level. If we have this problem, first we have to think about what we were doing before we began using cooperative learning since it will need more time to work with low performers to help get them up to the level of the rest of the class.

References

Brown, H. D. 2007. Teaching by Principle: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy. Third Edition. New York: Pearson-Longman.

Departemen Pendidikan Nasional Ditjen Pendidikan Luar Sekolah BPPLSP Regional IV. 2007. Model Pembelajaran Cooperative Learning Pada Bidang Studi Bahasa Inggris. Jakarta: no name.

Jacob, E.1999. Cooperative Learning in Context, an Educational Innovation in Everyday Classrooms. New York: University of New York Press.

Jacobs, G.M. 1996. Learning Cooperative Learning Via Cooperative Learning: A Sourcebook of Lesson Plans for Teacher Education on Cooperative Learning. Singapore: SEAMEO Regional Language Centre Singapore.

Harmer, J. 2007. The Practice of English Language Teaching. Fourth Edition. Essex: Pearson-Longman.

Slavin, R.E. 1995. Cooperative Learning. Second Edition. Massachussetts: A Simon & Schuster Company.

Suprijono, A. 2011. Cooperative Learning. Teori & Aplikasi PAIKEM. Yogyakarta: Pustaka Belajar.