COOPERATIVE LANGUAGE LEARNING

Cooperative language learning is based on the idea that second language learning
can be best done in heterogeneous groups, when all students work collaboratively
and cooperatively for one common goal. It replaces the idea that students have to
work competitively against one another.
Cooperative Learning has antecedents in proposals for peer-tutoring and peer-
monitoring that go back hundreds of years and longer. The early twentieth century
U.S. educator John Dewey is usually credited with promoting the idea of building
cooperation in learning into regular classrooms on a regular and systematic basis
(Rodgers 1988).
It was more generally promoted and developed in the United States in the 1960s and
1970s as a response to the forced integration of public schools and has been
substantially refined and developed since then.

Educators were concerned that traditional models of classroom learning were teacher-
fronted, fostered competition rather than cooperation, and favored majority students.
They believed that minority students might fall behind higher-achieving students.

This means that interaction within one heterogeneous group can lead to a maximum
of language learning, if the students work collaboratively. To do so, they have to use
the L2 and share the idea of achieving a common goal, which is not on the first side the
learning the language, but solving the exercises. This means that the actual language
learning process can be seen as a side effect of the task,

Theory of learning: social interaction

the theories of Vygotski and Piaget can be seen as setting the base of cooperative
language learning. social interaction is maintained to be necessary for language
learning.
language is that communication as a primary purpose of language
language learning is done with social interaction, cooperative language learning
focuses on language learning in natural settings through the use of interaction in pairs
or/and group work. and thus corresponds perfectly with the principles of cooperative
language learning. In working cooperatively, students share the idea of working
together and achieving a common goal.
Every member of the group has different ideas and skills and in sharing them with the
others, the group can take a maximal profit out of it all.
B. GOALS

The goals of CLL in language teaching :

To provide opportunities for naturalistic second language acquisition through the use
of interactive pair and group activities.
To provide teachers with a methodology to enable them to achieve this goal and one
that can be applied in a variety of curriculum settings (e.g., content-based, foreign
language classrooms).
To provide opportunities for learners to develop successful learning and
communication strategies
To enhance learner motivation and reduce learner stress and to create a positive
affective classroom climate .
Objective: To develop critical thinking skills and communicative competence through
socially structured interaction activities

LEARNER ROLES • Work collaboratively on tasks with other group members.

• Must learn teamwork skills.
• Be directors of their learning (plan, monitor, and evaluate their own learning)
• Learning requires student’s direct and active involvement and participation.
• Alternate roles involve partners in the role of tutors, checkers, recorders, and
information sharers. “Pair tasks”
TEACHER ROLES • Create a highly structured and well organized learning environment
in the classroom: * Be a facilitator of learning. * Move around the class and helping
students and groups as needs arise. * Teacher speaks less. *

What are the basic principles of Cooperative Learning?

There are four main principles of cooperative learning:

1. Positive Interdependence
Cooperative tasks promote teamwork. Students help, encourage, and support each
other’s efforts. They are on the same side working together to achieve the same goal.
Each one is an essential part of the team. For example, in a Jigsaw reading activity,
pupils cannot complete the task without everybody’s text.

2. Individual accountability
Each student is accountable for his or her individual contribution. They are required to
speak in front of at least one other person without help or note down their individual
response before sharing. In the structure Numbered Heads Together, each student
must write their answer on a mini whiteboard and show it to their teammates before
they get together to share their ideas.

3. Equal participation
Each member of the group is given an equal opportunity to participate. For example, in
a Timed Pair Share, each student is allocated an equal amount of time to speak about
the chosen topic. Participation is not voluntary. Each student must take their turn.

Cooperative learning techniques can be loosely categorized by the skill that each
enhances (Barkley, Cross and Major, 2005), although it is important to recognize that
many cooperative learning exercises can be developed to fit within multiple categories.
Categories include: discussion, reciprocal teaching, graphic organizers, writing and
problem solving.

The teachers properly design and implement cooperative learning involves five
procedures :

Pre-Instructional Planning
Plan out how groups will be formed and structure how the members will interact with
each other.
Introduce the Activity to the Students
Explain the academic task and the criteria for Then structure the cooperative aspects
of their work with special attention to the components of positive interdependence
and individual accountability. Set up time limits and allow for clarifying questions.
Monitor and Intervene
This is where you let the groups run while you circulate through the room to collect
observation data, see whether they understand the assignment, give immediate
feedback and praise for working together. If a group is having problems, you can
intervene to help them get on the right track.
Assessment
Some informal assessment is already done while you are monitoring the groups during
the exercise. However, once the group finishes their project, work should be assessed
by both instructor and group.
Process
Group processing involves asking the groups to rate their own performance and set
goals for themselves to improve their cooperative work.