Lesson 13: Cooperative Learning with the Computer

Cooperative or Collaborative learning is learning by small groups of students who work together in a common learning task. It is often called group learning but to be truly cooperative learning.

5 Elements are needed:

1. Common goal
2. Interdependence
3. Interaction
4. Individual accountability
5. Social skills

From several studies made on cooperative learning, it is manifested that cooperative learning in its true sense is advantageous since it:

• Encourage active learning, while motivating students
• Increases academic performances.
• Promotes literacy and language skills
• Improves teacher effectiveness

In addition, there are studies which show that cooperative learning enhances personal and social development among students of all ages, while enhancing self-esteem and improving social relationship between racially and culturally different students.

Cooperative Learning and the Computer

Researchers have made studies on the learning interaction between student and the computer. The  studies have great value since it has been a long standing fear that the computer may foster student learning in isolation that hinders the development of student's social Now this mythical fear has been

contradicted by studies which show that when students work with the computer in group, they cluster and interact with each other for adviceand mutual help. And given the option to work individually or in a group, the students' generally wish to work together in computer-based and non-computer-based activities.Reflecting on this phenomenon,psychologists think the computer fosters this positive social behavior due to the fact that it has a display monitor-just like a television set-that is looked upon something in communal.

Therefore researchers agree that the computer is a fairly natural learning vehicle for cooperative(at times called primitive)learning.

Educators are still wary about the computers' role in cooperative learning.Thus they pose the position that the use of computers do not automatically result in cooperative learning.There therefore assign the teacher several tasks in order to ensure collaborative learning.These are:

• Assigning students to mixed-ability

• Establishing positive interdependence

• Teaching cooperative social skills

• Insuring individual accountabilty, and

• Helping groups process information