Cooperative Learning is a pedagogical strategy used in EFL classrooms and its importance is based on the effectiveness to foster motivation and cooperative learning among students. Since cooperation has been integrated in EFL classrooms, students are allowed to socialize and share knowledge. But it is essential to consider some issues to have successful results in a cooperative environment.
First, teachers should consider the size of the classroom and level of students before placing them in groups. This implies to evaluate the individual skills of learners and how this could affect the performance in groups. Some researchers argue that a perfect group consists of four members with different levels of domain (high, medium, low). Most of the time, this is ignored by teachers. As a result, the groups are not well-balanced which would not let to achieve the objectives proposed causing disagreement and low scores among members.
Second, independence and coordination are fundamental in cooperative learning. Instruction is centered in students; teachers only provide support and act as a guide being their intervention limited to the needs or difficulties presented along. However, this suggests learners should own effective instructions about what they need to do especially when it is necessary to present a set of activities. Teachers are responsible to connect previous knowledge with current activities and facilitate the information needed by students opportunely.
Next, it is essential to provide diversity assigning specific roles to each partner. These roles will maximize the efficiency and will depend on the strengths and weaknesses of participants, and it can rotate periodically. A good idea is to distribute the roles in the next way: the leader who will clarify the concepts and provide suggestions to other members, the timekeeper who is responsible to control the time in each task, and the monitor who evaluates carefully the accomplishment obtained and provides solutions to eventual disagreements.
To conclude, cooperative learning is a challenging strategy with extraordinary and successful results, if teachers consider the conditions where it is applied. If students feel motivate, they will be capable to test their own skills learning and sharing their experiences in a different way. But, further its importance in an EFL classroom, this strategy enables to introduce new perspectives to avoid a common and traditional teaching.
Cooperative
Learning
is a pedagogical strategy
used
in EFL classrooms and its importance
is based
on the effectiveness to foster motivation and
cooperative
learning
among
students
. Since cooperation has
been integrated
in EFL classrooms,
students
are
allowed
to socialize and share knowledge.
But
it is essential to consider
some
issues to have successful results in a
cooperative
environment.
First
,
teachers
should consider the size of the classroom and level of
students
before
placing them in
groups
. This implies to evaluate the individual
skills
of learners and how this could affect the performance in
groups
.
Some
researchers argue that a perfect
group
consists of four members with
different
levels of domain (high, medium, low). Most of the time, this is
ignored
by
teachers
.
As a result
, the
groups
are not well-balanced which would not
let
to achieve the objectives proposed causing disagreement and low scores among members.
Second, independence and coordination are fundamental in
cooperative
learning
. Instruction
is centered
in
students
;
teachers
only
provide
support and act as a guide being their intervention limited to the needs or difficulties presented along.
However
, this suggests learners should
own
effective instructions about what they need to do
especially
when it is necessary to present a set of activities.
Teachers
are responsible to connect previous knowledge with
current
activities and facilitate the information needed by
students
opportunely
.
Next
, it is essential to
provide
diversity assigning specific roles to each partner. These roles will maximize the efficiency and will depend on the strengths and weaknesses of participants, and it can rotate
periodically
. A
good
idea
is to distribute the roles in the
next
way: the leader who will clarify the concepts and
provide
suggestions to other members, the timekeeper who is responsible to control the time in each task, and the monitor who evaluates
carefully
the accomplishment obtained and
provides
solutions to eventual disagreements.
To conclude
,
cooperative
learning
is a challenging strategy with extraordinary and successful results, if
teachers
consider the conditions where it
is applied
. If
students
feel motivate, they will be capable to
test
their
own
skills
learning
and sharing their experiences in a
different
way.
But
,
further
its importance in an EFL classroom, this strategy enables to introduce new perspectives to avoid a common and traditional teaching.