Cooperative learning

How do cooperative learning groups encourage meaning making for students?

This really allows the students to get together and brainstorm, through brainstorming the different ideas the students can then come together and pick the best possible solution. Giving your students the chance to see others view points and their own gives them an even larger range of knowledge. The students then want to problem solve and figure out if their decision was in fact the best one. Problem solving gets the student asking why?? it encourages them to think and discover which will provide more meaningful experience to them. Making it meaningful takes a lot of effort on the teacher because the teacher must understand where the child is coming from. They must get to know the students and their background so that they are able to relate the content to their lives.

Considering that you sometimes have to “let go” of your plan, why should you plan in the first place?

I believe the main reason you must plan is so that you are organized and have a overall understanding of what you would like your students to gain from the unit of lessons. As teachers we are supposed to align our lessons with standards, even though there may be alternative conceptions within the classroom it is crucial for us to keep a specific lesson in place. Those conceptions may drive us away from the plan there is still a baseline for what you want and need your students to accomplish. It just may be that you need to adjust your plan to meet the students needs and understandings.

Because you are allowing the students to go off and make their own discoveries they may find something different or new that you did not intend for them to discover. This is ok and can be a great things because you are allowing the student to be a true inquirer!

Why is it important for cooperative learning groups to include students of diverse backgrounds and abilities? In your answer, consider all the members of the group.

We come from different back grounds, cultures, and abilities. When working with any group of student you want there to be diversity among the students for an array of reasons. First t is crucial that there is respect among the students. To help build this respect and understanding we must have them work together and not segregate them. This gives students the chance to bond with other students and allows them to see alternative conceptions that may have arised because of their different backgrounds. Along with respect it gives the students that may have a lower ability the chance to work with someone who has a clear understanding of the content and can help them understand what is going on.