Special Issue on Cooperative Learning
Yael Sharan - Lalita Agashe: Excerpts from the editorial
Special Issue on Cooperative Learning in Education. Journal of Community Guidance & Research. 2020 November Vol. 37 No. 3 (Sharan, Y - Agashe, L. eds)
All the authors included in this special issue on cooperative learning are veteran researchers and practitioners who have significantly advanced our understanding of cooperative learning practices and their multiple applications. Several research studies presented in this issue confirm the adaptability of the fundamental features of cooperative learning in education across elementary school programs in diverse countries.
A dramatic intervention carried out in Geneva by Celine Buchs and her colleagues demonstrates how cooperative learning enabled students and teachers to view multicultural classrooms as a resource rather than a challenge. Buchs and her team designed an intervention that created meaningful opportunities for contact and interaction among students, families, and teachers, relying on the awareness of linguistic and cultural diversity alongside a cooperative learning model that emphasizes status treatment.
Wendy Jolliffe and Kate Ferguson-Patrick, while focusing on helping pre-service and in-service teachers develop inclusive practices for today's heterogeneous classrooms, remind us that cooperative learning must be well implemented to effectively promote the necessary skills for teaching in these diverse environments. Their article presents evidence from various teachers in different countries, highlighting common factors that may assist others wishing to implement cooperative learning practices.
Cooperative learning procedures were integrated with The MultiGradeMultiLevel-Methodology from Rishi Valley, India, to create a program fostering students' social and emotional abilities, as described by Christine Schmalenbach and colleagues. This program, named SeELe (Sozial-emotionale Entwicklung mit Lernleitern – Socioemotional development with Ladders of Learning), was crafted to provide materials that promote students’ social and emotional development through structured individual and interactive cooperative activities.
In higher education, several authors illustrate the application of cooperative learning practices. Kumiko Fushino elaborates on how cooperative learning methods contributed to the success of a first-year English class at a university in Japan. Group learning in English improved students' command of the language and fostered a tangible learning community.
At another university in Japan, Keiko Hirose and Tamami Wada investigated the changes in first-year students’ beliefs about cooperation and English study during a compulsory one-year English course. Both articles report results that indicate how year-long, thoughtfully planned cooperative learning experiences enhance learners' beliefs in the value of cooperation and bolster their English self-efficacy.
Narenda Naidu and Sushama Joag from Modern College in Pune, along with Lalita Agashe, detail their efforts to introduce cooperative learning to faculty staff. Their article discusses the outcomes and effects of a professional development course on cooperative learning practices undertaken over an academic year, revealing both the challenges and successes encountered, as well as plans for future professional development in cooperative learning.
Elaine Hoter’s article presents readers with the use of cooperative learning in immersive virtual reality at a teacher training college in Israel, demonstrating how virtual reality can effectively enhance collaborative learning. Graduate and undergraduate students engaged in constructing and sharing knowledge while learning together in an innovative semester program on intercultural education within a virtual environment.
Beyond the research studies, this special issue features two case studies illustrating how cooperative learning fosters relationships between students of all ages and their teachers within the learning process. The cooperative learning strategies in both case studies (one in Taiwan and the other in Toronto, Canada) are designed to maximize participation and contribution from both students and teachers while minimizing educators’ roles as the sole sources of knowledge. In Taiwan, teachers Nancy Tyan and Iris Chi facilitated a learning task that encouraged pairs or small groups of learners to discuss and exchange ideas or collaborate on study plans, inviting students to infuse their experiences, feelings, and knowledge into the learning process. The second case study highlights a unique school in Toronto, Canada, led by Kemp Rickett, where collaborative principles were integrated throughout the entire school environment: in classrooms, teachers' lounges, principal's offices, and connections with parents. It showcases how a collaborative school culture was nurtured among teachers, leading to a comfortable application of these principles in their classrooms and ultimately ensuring sustained implementation of cooperative learning practices at all levels.
A compelling addition to the diverse experiences showcased in this issue is the article by Isabella Pescarmona and Paola Giorgis. By exploring the multicultural cooperative learning classroom through sociological and anthropological perspectives, they expand our understanding of how it facilitates equitable participation. Their article summary aptly encapsulates the essence of all studies in this special issue: '...cooperative learning can be viewed as an effective educational praxis that bridges the dichotomies often found in pedagogical relationships, such as theory-practice, teaching-learning, teacher-student, student-student. Cooperative learning possesses the capacity to engage and foster dialogue among various participants, valuing each individual’s contributions. Through this approach, diversity becomes a core element that enhances equitable participation in educational dialogue, serving as the foundation for cultivating critical awareness around its construction. Cooperative learning also illustrates how we can infuse our work with meaning for both our students and ourselves by blending critical reflection with a flexible approach; this combination should be a staple in everyday classroom practice.'
In today’s Indian educational landscape, the cultural ethos of inclusive cooperative practices is reflected in the vibrant co-curricular and extracurricular activities present in schools and colleges. However, classrooms remain primarily teacher-centric. Although cooperative learning resonates deeply with the Indian ethos, effecting a shift in mindset and the thorough preparation essential for its implementation in the classroom presents a significant challenge.