1510-Week 3

Let's Do It Together!
       Having students work out problems on their own in groups is very useful learning activity. Cooperative Learning is a very useful strategies that should be used in every classroom. This strategies allows students to interact with and learn about other students. Students in these situations can learn new skills from the peers their and partnered with in these groups. The skills they gain from cooperative learning experiences can greatly benefit the students in their future careers.
        The cooperative learning strategy can be used in every subject area and would be great in many occasions in math. It provides for students excelling in the subject to be teacher to those at a lower level. Students who are struggling are be paired with those who have mastered the concept being taught and together they can work with and learn from each other to find the correct answers for the problems given. It also provides those with different skills to come together to display their varied skills. For example, if you are assigning students to make math posters, you would pair a student skilled in math, a student skilled in art, and a student skilled in reading to work together to create the poster so all would be able to learn new skills from one another.
       After being in the classroom to see this strategy used, I find it very useful.  The following video is an example that shows that this is a useful tool in the classroom to more fully engage students in learning. It shows fifth grade students working out the problems and together they have to decide whether their answers are correct. This kind of work should be used as an alternative to the teacher reading off the answers to students. Video: Students Explain Benefits of Reaching Consensus
        I enjoyed watching the students speak for themselves on the benefits of this kind of activity vs. having the teacher read off the answers. It shows that students really enjoy learning and they were glad to tell the teacher what activity helped them learn more. Most students are very social and this is just another way to get them to discuss school topics with other students. It was nice to see students working together toward the same goal and to see their joy upon reaching that goal. It is important to remember that You, as the teacher, are in charge of your students learning. It is up to you to choose activities that will provide for optimal learning.