COOPERATIVE LEARNING LESSON

KIM HAYDEN

EDP 621

SUMMER I, 2002

TITLE: Tossed Salad

GOAL: To create a cooperative learning environment where children will use social skills, interaction skills and communication skills to a achieve a shared goal, which, when combined with the other cooperative groups, will benefit the entire class.

ABSTRACT: This activity can be used in conjunction with a class unit on plants and plant cycles in a second grade class. The Jigsaw method is used in this activity, each group being responsible for one type of plant. Each group will have ìexpertî knowledge of their plant from information they have gathered during the growing cycle.

MATERIALS:

4 packs of seeds (2 types of lettuce-leaf, Bibb, or other)

carrots, radishes)

4 planters

potting soil

plant markers

journals

PROCEDURE:

1. Divide class into 4 heterogeneous groups.

2. Give each group one packet of seeds, planters, markers, and potting soil.

3. Tasks within each group should be assigned according to ability level of the children. Children with IEP objectives can prepare the soil, plant seeds, or be responsible for watering the plants. A child with good math skills can be responsible for measuring growth and recording data. A child with good communication skills can report this information to the group and each group member can keep a journal and make daily entries in it.

4. After seeds are planted and watered, place on window sill.

5. Each group should discuss success of cooperative activity to this point (leadership, norms, expectations) and share experiences with entire class.

6. Children will record information about their plants until the plants are harvested.

7. When lettuce, radishes and carrots are harvested, combine to make a tossed salad for the entire class to share.

ELEMENTS OF COOPERATIVE LEARNING:

Positive Interdependence: Each student is dependent on the other group members to share information and work cooperatively to achieve their common goal.

Individual Accountability: Each member of the group is responsible for a task. All tasks must be completed successfully in order for the plants to thrive.

Social Skills: The students must have good listening and problem solving skills in order to communicate effectively with each other. Clear, precise directions must be given and understood through one-way, two-way or non-verbal communication. Paraphrasing can be used to make sure everyone understands.

Face-to-Face Interaction: Students will be working in groups of four or five around a large table where they can all see each other and the activity that is going on.

Heterogeneous Grouping: Students will count off by 4 around the room to determine which group they are in. Number 1 will be leaf lettuce, 2 will be Bibb lettuce, 3 will be radishes, and 4 will be carrots.

Evaluation: Students can be evaluated individually to determine if they did their individual tasks and as a group to determine if they achieved their goal.

Processing: Each group can explain to the entire class the steps they took to grow their plants. They can share the data they collected about their plants. The teacher can lead the class in a discussion as to what their expectations were about the project and their other group members, how they resolved any conflict within the group, leadership roles within the group and ways they used communication skills to help them accomplish their goal.

This cooperative lesson satisfies all of the above elements of a cooperative learning lesson. In order for each group to have cohesiveness they must first have the necessary social skills as defined by Sapon-Shevins (listening, encouraging, problem solving and negotiating). Each student will have expectations of how they should perform their task and how others will do theirs and norms will be set to determine how the goal will be achieved. Communication skills will be vital to the success of the project because each group member must be able to give and receive messages so that everyone understands. The Schmucks go into great detail explaining the forms of verbal and non-verbal communication and the problems related to miscommunication. Procedural conflict will undoubtedly arise at some point (whether it be in assigning individual tasks or whose turn it is to water the plants) and the class should be able to use their problem-solving skills to resolve the problem in such a way as to promote group cohesiveness.