Thought’s about cooperative Learning Methods
Cooperative learning helps students be able to learn new concepts and skills together instead of
independently. It exposes them to different family cultures, ethnicities, and racial differences to
create fewer lines of polarization as children grow up. On the other hand, many cooperative
learning programs also make an assumption that students already have fully developed social
skills when they may have none. There are several key points to be considered when evaluating
cooperative learning
Below I will write the Pro’s and Contra’s on Cooperative Learning Methods
THE PRO THOUGHT
1. It creates higher level thinking skills due to the need for skill recognition and the
presence of empathy.
Students can’t know how to help each other unless they get to know one another. This forces
them to begin using higher level thinking skills so they can recognize what gaps exist in their
team and how those gaps can be solved. These skills are an integral part of what the vocational
community requires when it comes to teamwork.
2. It creates new forms of individual responsibility.
Instead of working toward an individualized grade that may not be cared about, students in
groups are forced to hold themselves accountable to the group so the best grade possible can be
achieved. Equal participation becomes necessary for results to be achieved. There will always be
students who rebel against such a system and refuse to participate, but cooperative learning
makes it possible to quickly identify and work with such students.
3. It increases the level of personal participation in lessons.
In a classroom where there may be 20 students, it could easily take 45 minutes to get everyone to
participate in a lesson individually. By creating a cooperative learning environment, however,
each group can be called upon after a period of speaking with one another so that everyone
participates without the same time constraints. Group answers are given that are based on all
individual feedback so that every student has some say in the lesson.
THE CON’S THOUGHT
1. It creates a grading system which could be considered unfair.
In most cooperative learning programs, a grade is handed out to the entire group instead of to
each individual involved. This means that a student’s grades are dependent on the individual
with the weakest grasp of the subject materials. For those who have a good understanding of the
subject and have done their best to help their group, a low grade seems very unfair and could
create resentment that stops further learning.
2. It creates new systems of socialization structure that are not always beneficial.
In cooperative learning, the students soon learn who happens to be great at certain subjects and
those who are not so great. The better students will scramble to be in each other’s groups to
avoid grading issues, which creates a polarization line in the class. Over time, this may even
encourage students to stop trying.
3. It places a teacher’s responsibility onto their students.
It isn’t the student’s job to teach their peers in subject materials. It is the teacher’s responsibility.
In a system of cooperative learning, however, the teacher hands out the assignments and the
students are forced to become teachers if they want to make sure a passing grade can be
achieved.
