Cooperative Learning: Structures for Developing Cooperative Learning Exercises

Resources:

Brenda Andrews and Rownia Watson from Akron, OH
William Draves, How to Teach Adults
Sharon Rose McMarr of Harbor Community Adult School in Los Angeles, CA

Brainstorming

Cooperative Brainstorming makes use of 3 leadership roles: stimulator, monitor, and recorder. The stimulator can lead in asking questions to develop an idea or to lead the group on to new ideas. The monitor may lead in questioning the appropriateness of an idea, keeping the group on task, and possibly helping to reword suggestions so that they fit the task at hand better, or, the monitor may be assigned to make sure each student contributes something to the brainstorming session. The recorder makes sure all ideas are recorded as intended by the students who shared and discussed them. At the end of a cooperative brainstorming effort, each student should have offered at least one idea and every student should receive a long list of ideas related to the topic about to be assigned for further work. Some brainstorming lists should be published in the class­ room for all to use as inspiration.

Exercises that include Cooperative Brainstorming

1. Solving of a classroom problem
2. Beginning a writing project
3. Beginning a research project
4. Responding to a current event reading
5. Planning entry into the workforce
6. Planning a class social function

Corners

In Corners students are grouped by nature of their opinion on a given topic. Students of differing opinions are paired up in designated corners to discuss their opinions. Each student must sufficiently understand his/her partner's view and then paraphrase the partner's opinion to other members of a group of four. Members may ask questions for clarity, but no debate is allowed.

Exercises using Corners as a Cooperative approach

1. Preparing a paper where the writer must argue a point
2. Researching controversial points in history: different students could read different viewpoints about women's rights and then role-play their author, teaching the rest of their group
3. Forming an opinion on an issue to be decided by vote, such as a presidential election, city election, etc.
4. Reading a controversial author

Roundrobin

This is an information sharing structure in which team members take turns contributing in oral fashion to their team effort. No consensus must be reached or compromise made, but each team member gets to add information to the answer of a question or the working out of a problem, hopefully making the answer more complete and correct.