There are many types of learning structures for students in the classroom; some are more individualistic, while some are more team-based. Collaboration is vital to students learning how to work well together and develop important life skills. Read on to learn about some of the key benefits of cooperative learning.
Positive Interdependence
Cooperative learning relies on students working together to achieve a common goal within a specific lesson or subject. In this style of learning, students learn to pursue results that not only benefit themselves, but also the other students they are working with.
Students develop positive interdependence by understanding and embracing that their success is linked to the success of the others in their group. This means if one person fails, they all fail. Each student’s individual effort impacts themselves and their classmates. Developing a commitment to each other’s success is the key to cooperative learning and the essence of positive interdependence.
Responsibility
In cooperative learning, each group is responsible for achieving its own goals, and each member is responsible for contributing their individual portion to that goal. Students learn responsibility by creating group goals related to the assignment and delegating tasks amongst themselves to achieve their desired outcome. Making each student accountable for their own tasks contributing to their group’s goals also teaches them reliability.
Communication and Social Skills
When students learn cooperatively, they develop social skills. They communicate by discussing what their goals are, how they plan to achieve them, how they are progressing, and any changes needed along the way. As they work, they will run into obstacles and discuss how to overcome them. They will also discuss which members’ contributions and ideas are helping them reach their goals. At the end, they will discuss how their finished product turned out. Cooperative learning helps students develop their social skills through effective communication throughout the collaborative process.
Supporting and Encouraging Each Other
Students working together learn to support and encourage each other. Cooperative learning encourages students to help and praise each other’s learning efforts. Students support each other by using their knowledge to explain topics to other group members, discussing the lesson subject matter amongst each other, teaching others how to solve problems, and using their individual strengths to help another student who may be struggling. When students collaborate to achieve a common learning goal, they learn to support and encourage each other.
Confidence
Cooperative learning is a more complex process than learning individually. Instead of solely focusing on their own understanding and success, they are focused on the understanding and success of the entire group — and this requires a different skillset. Students learn to demonstrate leadership, decision-making, problem-solving, communication, trust-building, and other skills while collaborating with their classmates. Practicing these skills in a cooperative learning environment boosts students’ confidence in their academic and interpersonal abilities.
Cooperative learning is a great way for students to practice collaboration and develop important life skills. Here at our Orlando private school, located in the Catholic Diocese of Orlando, your student’s success is our top priority. That’s why we use a variety of learning structures in our classrooms. Our staff is committed to proclaiming the Gospel Message of Jesus Christ. We believe in teaching the whole child and want students to love learning, helping them grow into well-rounded, contributing members of society. Learn more about us by contacting us here.
