Lesson 13: Cooperative learning with the Computer

Content

           Cooperative or collaborative learning is learning by small groups of students who work together in a common learning task. It is often also called group learning but to be truly cooperative learning, five (5) elements are needed: a common goal, interdependence, interaction, individual accountability, and social skills. It encourages active learning while motivating students; increases academic performance; promotes literacy and language skills; and improves teacher effectiveness.

         The teacher is assigned several tasks in order to ensure collaborative learning. These are: assigning students to mixed-ability teams; establishing positive interdependence; teaching cooperative social skills; insuring individual accountability; and helping groups process information. It is also important for the teacher to limit learning group clusters  (six is the ideal number in a group) so that there can be closer involvement in thinking and learning.

Experiences

            I think that I never had any experiences having this cooperative learning with the computer because as far as I remember, if not all and most of the activities given by our teacher is more focus on the product of individual especially on the product that they want to had before. As far as I’m concern, though, indirectly, we had this experience on our educational technology 1 wherein we would be able to make a movie and from that, maybe we had a sort of experience that this topic is really applicable. Maybe, the research that we had is some sort of cooperative learning because we were using computers on searching about something then, tend to elaborate and discussed based on the research that everybody does. though indirectly also, but I think it is more applicable compared to the latter thing I have mentioned.

Reflection

            When we are having our activity, I realized that its not about on the involvement the student is important, it’s about the interest she should have to learn more especially if it is some sort of collaborative or cooperative learning wherein she/he is one of the groups that are giving and taking information from the other. I think, open mindedness of a certain student is a must because in the process of brainstorming and cooperating on a certain group, the ideas she may have or the other group has is not that important but because we have this something on our mind that we should always accept ideas from the group, though, it’s not said that we should always have on that or what, we should have scepticism and should know how to adjust on the thinks that may encounter during the brainstorming or even after because I can really have a big impact not just on the product that you may have but also to the relationship you have or you may have on a group where you belong. I realized that the cooperative learning may be only achieved indirectly with the use of computer because of many factors in the classroom setting, I think its just focus on the thought that everybody is using computer to communicate and to be able to help them on what they are doing but not really all of them are there using computer during their brainstorming process or what.

Application

            We can apply this in our future if we really have enough equipment or materials that can be used in our teaching process. I think that it would be easier for us to make something if we have complete materials and the topic is really applicable to it. I can apply this topic if I have enough skills and knowledge on the integration and application approach. If the topic is so much related to the cooperative learning with the computers, I think, it can be used effectively on the reflection thing because in that field, they can brainstorm on what they have reflect based on the topic and if they are not all there. It means that the application of these topics may not be direct really but still used to manage computers in the cooperative learning.