Among the last advantages of cooperative learning in the classroom is the increase in competition that every student experiences as s/he collaborates with other students/teammates in the process of accomplishing a particular task or activity. There is one caveat, however, in stating this observation about cooperative learning: increased competence is induced only in learning processes wherein information used by students are similar or identical with each other (Buchs, 2004:310-1). An increase in the competitive nature of learning using the cooperative learning technique stimulates students' greater desire to perform better, and to outdo other students in accomplishing the task at hand.
While there are advantages to cooperative learning as a teaching and learning tool, there are also disadvantages that can become impediments or hindrances to the students' further learning and the teacher's role as a moderator or to serve as the students' guide to learning.
Among the enumerated disadvantages to cooperative learning as a teaching technique is that it promotes "role-playing" among students within a team or group (Bandiera, 2006:132). This "role-playing" happens when students are assigned roles or functions that when accomplishing a task or activity. For example, one student may be assigned to do the actual activity, while another is asked to record the findings, a third student analyzes these findings, while another student evaluates and prepares the report for the team. This cooperative learning example demonstrates how one student becomes skilled in one particular activity in the said learning process, making him/her unskilled in some other part of the task or activity. Because of the specific roles students are assigned to accomplish in cooperative learning, they are not able to develop themselves in other areas wherein they have the chance to compete or be skilled at.
Apart from having defined roles in the cooperative learning task, this technique also induces students to focus only on one subject matter where cooperative learning is encouraged, oftentimes neglecting other subjects where cooperative learning is not practiced or encouraged (133).
As a converse to the finding that cooperative learning induces competitiveness among students, there is also a downside to the...
The obvious implication is that the pairing of hands-on, inquiry-based active-learning teaching methods with cooperative learning holds tremendous potential for improved learning and social development of grade school students. Naturally, that would be an appropriate and likely productive area for future research in the area of effective teaching methodologies. Conclusion Cooperative learning has demonstrated tremendous beneficial potential as a modern educational method capable of increasing learning. Evidence also strongly suggests that
Size/Cooperative Learning & it's effects on participation Action Research Question Will cooperative learning have a significantly positive impact on smaller or larger classes? The purpose of this study was to investigate if cooperative learning will have a significantly positive impact on smaller or larger classes. In order to have valid results, I used both my largest and smallest classes as my sampling. I also incorporated a variety of teaching styles with cooperative
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Emotions affect how memories are processed, stored, and retrieved, which also impacts how learning takes place. Perhaps more importantly, emotions impact cognitive processes and learning. Neuroscience shows the ways thoughts are processed depends on one's cultural context and also emotional states. Thinking styles may be also linked to the learning process, as Zhang & Sternberg (2010) point out, and thinking styles are themselves related to cultural variables. The ways people
It is argued that while land tenure data can be instrumental in addressing land-related conflicts, much of the practical value is lost because of inconsistency of information and because information is not readily accessible, or cannot be combined to allow for greater depth of analysis. In practice, this means that policy-makers cannot make immediate use of the information that is available because additional time and expense are required either
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