Term Paper on "Integrated Curriculum and Cooperative Learning"

Term Paper 17 pages (5029 words) Sources: 10 Style: APA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Integrated Curriculum and Cooperative Learning

The primary purpose of this study is to highlight how encompassing curriculum setups that utilize the phenomenon of collaborative learning (CL) can allow the students to attain a more astute, intelligent, appropriate and evocative educational standard. The paper will highlight different case studies that have been carried out under different circumstances and with different approaches of CL and will then highlight how these support or refute the statement that the use of CL helps build a stronger and widened educational horizon. But before we analyze the case studies, it is important that we understand what CL is and how it works (Dyson, 2001).

Collaborative learning is basically a general term that is used to incorporate all those cooperative and group activities that are undertaken by teachers and/or students in order to attain a higher academic goal. To put it more simply and clearly CL allows the growth and sustenance of situational settings that support and instigate the students to work together for a similar goal in similar conditions with elements of individual responsibility and group cooperation having equal weight. Usually what is understood as a CL effort is when the student body is divided into groups that strife to comprehend, analyze, identify, define or solve an academic problem or dilemma. This can be done through the collaborative writing projects, individual and group assignments, etc. (Dyson, 2001).

Over the years CL has been adapted into numerous different categories. These include the Collaborative Networked Learning category which is mainly a CL methodology that is adopted by the independent and older student. There is also the Youth Directed Collaboration category which is similar to Collaborative Networked Learning but it is a lot more futuristic and drastic and encompasses the entire body of youth. Then there is Computer-supported collaborative learning (CSCL) which has been a very recent addition and includes experimental teaching methods in numerous faculties like cognitive sciences, sociology, computer engineering. As the name suggests, it involves the use of or familiarity with computer and technology-literacy on the part of both the teachers and the students to be successful (Dyson, 2001).

Collaborative Learning is a useful element in terms of the dimension it adds in the overall Learning Management Systems. This simply highlights all the mechanisms and tools (visual or numeric) that come along in support of the CL setup that can allow the students to better identifying and understanding the problem at hand. A good and recent example of this is the Virtual Classrooms which are basically physically divided classrooms that are connected through the use of audio-visual systems like chat rooms, blog sites, dialogue sequences etc. Basically what CL does is bring together all the individuals to work as a single body and system which allows them to develop and enhance their information database within academic boundaries (Dyson, 2001).

Overview of the Cooperative learning and Curriculum development

When looking at cooperative learning we can see five clear methodologies in which cooperative learning can take place as highlighted by Johnson, Johnson, and Johnson-Houbec in 1988 (Dyson & Rubin 2003). These five methodologies include:

Interpersonal and small-group proficiencies

Supportive face-to-face communication,

Constructive inter-reliance,

Individual responsibility, and Group management.

Interpersonal and small-group proficiencies include individual characteristics like listening to all members, mutual decision-making, allocating and taking liability, a two-way response structure, and shared support. These can be instigated in the students by developing methods where the children can work cooperatively and in a united manner. The supportive face-to-face communication as the name suggests is a very personal nose-to-nose discussion that takes place within every team and amongst its members. Usually this discussion is done on relevant and related subjects. Constructive inter-reliance basically means trusting your teammates that you work with to attain a specified goal. Individual responsibility as the name suggests is taking responsibility for one's own contribution in the attainment of a task. Group management in its fundamental form is mainly a monitoring and evaluation process of the level and degree of success that the group is achieving in the attainment of its goal. Many researchers have highlighted the following elements as also influential in creating a successful CL experience:

Innovative and thoughtful division of the student body,

Creation and facilitation of the relevant and opportune social settings and communication,

The constant recognition of the importance of individual responsibility, and Consistent and regular evaluation of all teams and teammates to analyze the overall input of the students (Dyson & Rubin, 2003).

Many researchers believe that the influence of the peers or contemporaries on the method of learning and approaching one's education is extremely vast. The team acceptance, sense of belonging and team support are all elements that can instigate a positive influence on the learning of the students as well as his/her overall social contact and attitude. For example, in a Vygotskian perception, the researchers have explained the numerous behaviors or methods of the peers that can instigate or support the enhancement of the overall learning strategy and output of the students. Many researchers have also positively highlighted the constructive results that are attained when the teachers support peer influence and increase social communication between students (Dyson & Rubin, 2003).

Other studies also support that the CL in the form of peer communication and relations instigates stronger motivational directions when designing the aims and choosing the principles as well as the use of the abilities that help in the self-evaluation and self-management of the individual along with critical thinking and social skills (e.g., Wentzel, 2002). All of the researches show intricate connections between social comfort or interaction and the education that the students get. Furthermore, they highlight the fact that the enhancement and the implementation of learning facilitating strategies has to be avidly supported by the attributes of and prospects that are brought forth in the generalized subject matters being used for the educational procedures (Wentzel & Watkins, 2002).

Numerous researches have combined peer associations and CL in different educational or academic breakthroughs for different levels or grades in schools. Numerous studies that have analyzed peer association have concluded that this form of CL shows higher academic performance and problem solving skills when the peer associations are higher and constructive and the opposite when the peers associations are limited or negative. These studies also show the same result for the overall class achievements and marks gained by students, and peer healthy associations have also been recognized as influential in the context of higher IQ levels (Wentzel & Watkins, 2002) and test scores marks.

Another advantage of CL is that it also allows students to communicate and associate with each other beyond academics and allows them to strengthen their social contacts. Not all social contacts are related to the phenomenon of friendship however, some are merely based on academic goals while others can be based around extra-curricular activities. Many practitioners confirm that the cooperative format of finding solution to various problems acts as a facilitator of healthy social contacts of students as well as their overall intelligence, awareness and academic performance (Wentzel & Watkins, 2002).

The main focus of most studies has been the development of communication and interpersonal relations between and amongst students through the use of CL and a relevant curriculum outline and for that the different ways that CL can be employed has been explained below. These include: a) informal learning groups setting, b) formal learning groups settings and c) study teams settings (Wentzel & Watkins, 2002).

The informal learning group is basically a random, temporary and spontaneous grouping of students that lasts only for one class or period. These are usually very unofficial and mainly signify an effort from the teacher to instigate a comfort level of communication between students under casual settings (Wentzel & Watkins, 2002).

The formal learning group is a more official grouping of the students where the attainment of a goal is given to each group. Of course the formal learning group element has the flexibility to have both short- and long-term life i.e. It can only be a one-period effort or it can be a project that can take up several classes. Usually, the groups that have worked together for the attainment of the task are marked a group as well (Wentzel & Watkins, 2002).

The study team is mainly a durable grouping of the students that can last over the entire semester. This setting usually supports a consistent participation from all members as well as highlights elements of cooperation, organization, sustenance and help between and among the group members till they attain their short-term aims and their overall collective goal. There is cohesiveness and unity in the study teams and an obvious academic assistance when a teammate requires it. Usually the study teams are most useful if there is a larger student body (Wentzel & Watkins, 2002). In this paper we will analyze case studies that have used CL under the formal learning group and study team format where the communication between the members is free flowing and consistent.… READ MORE

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