Section T2a Exploration - Expressing my understanding of Marzano's COOPERATIVE LEARNING

For my class assignment, I am writing about Marzano’s teaching strategies and how they impact student achievement. Though all nine are effective strategies, I am going to focus on COOPERATIVE LEARNING.

The goal to Marzano’s belief is to get the student from “Getting the right answer” to deeper understanding. In order for a student to learn the information, it must be relevant, useful, and meaningful.

COOPERATIVE LEARNING is one of the most powerful strategies for teachers. Students learn through social interaction by talking, so processing can lead to deeper understandings. Since students will not work in isolation when they enter the working world, students shouldn’t work in isolation in the classroom.

COOPERATIVE LEARNING is not used by every teacher for fear of classroom management and control. Here are some best practices for COOPERATIVE LEARNING:

1) Keep group sizes small – preferably no more than five per group

2) Use groups consistently and systematically – students respond in situations that are well organized and happen on a regular basis

 3) Teach the structures and processes students will follow when working in groups – teach and practice transitions, use clear directions, and explain expected behavior needed by teaching and modeling

 4) Organize groups around a well-structured task – specific rules and understanding need to be used

Technology is a helpful tool for COOPERATIVE LEARNING. For students, Google docs and wikis can be used by multiple people to collaborate on a single project. For teachers, Google forms or blogs can be used to keep track of student’s roles and contributions.