COOPERATIVE LEARNING?

as schools have become increasingly diverse, the demands on teachers have
changed accordingly. Many schools of education that prepare teachers now
recognize that all teachers must have the skills, abilities, and attitudes necessary
to teach heterogeneous groups of learners within their individual classrooms and
schools. It is undisputed that teachers today are expected to be culturally sensitive
and have the knowledge, skills, disposition, and commitment for teaching a
wide range of children (Ladson-Billings, 1995; Holmes Group, 1990; Sleeter &
Grant, 1999; Zeichner, 1993 & 1997). Both the popular press and professional
literature are full of references to the increasing heterogeneity of schools and the
need for teachers to teach to that diversity.
Although many social changes, legislative decisions, and educational innovations
now make the heterogeneity of classrooms more apparent, the truth is
that there never was such a thing as a “homogeneous” classroom; we must
acknowledge all the forms of diversity that have always been present in schools
as well as the differences among students that have only recently been recognized
or attended to (Sapon-Shevin, 1999).
As schools move closer to the goal of providing education for all children within
inclusive classrooms and schools, increasing amounts of attention and energy are
being devoted to developing pedagogical approaches that are appropriate in heterogeneous
classrooms. Teachers must structure the educational and social environment
so that students develop the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to
interact across both perceived and actual differences and disabilities. Many
teachers who are working in diverse or inclusive classrooms are particularly eager
to develop modes of instruction that do not isolate and stigmatize learners with
different needs: “Everyone write your book reports, and Michael, come over here
and draw a picture” is an approach that not only separates children unnecessarily,
but also denies all children the opportunity to learn and interact with others
in ways that will enhance their academic and social growth. The realization that
2 Mara Sapon-Shevin
complete individualization is not a practical or even desirable solution to meeting
the diverse needs of children within a single classroom has led many inclusion
advocates to promote cooperative learning as the pedagogy of choice.
Over the last ten years, cooperative learning has become accepted as one of
the “best practices” in education. School districts hiring new teachers expect
that the teachers they hire will be at least comfortable, if not skilled, in implementing
cooperative learning strategies in the classroom. Consequently, many
teacher education programs have increased the number of courses and opportunities
for novice and experienced teachers to learn how to design and implement
cooperative/collaborative learning.
Cooperative learning has been used extensively within “regular education”
classrooms (McTighe & Lyman, 1988; Jones & Steinbrink, 1991; Almasi, 1995;
Gambrell, 1996) and “special education” classrooms (Hoover & Patton, 1995).
Cooperative learning is of value for all students including those who have been
identified as “at risk,” “bilingual,” “gifted,” and “normal.” Cooperative learning
encourages mutual respect and learning among students with varying talents and
abilities, languages, racial, and ethnic backgrounds (Marr, 1997). Sudzina (1993)
reports that cooperative learning is effective in reducing prejudice among students
and in meeting the academic and social needs of students at risk for educational
failure. All students need to learn and work in environments where
their individual strengths are recognized and individual needs are addressed.
Many educators today strive to ensure that multiple intelligence theory and differentiated
instruction are incorporated into their curricula (Gardner, 1993;
Armstrong, 1994, Tomlinson, 1999). Emotional intelligence is also an important
facet of classroom community (Goleman, 1995) that requires teacher attention.
All students need to learn within a supportive community in order to feel safe
enough to take risks (Sapon-Shevin, 1999). Cooperative learning arrangements
have been found to be useful for increasing achievement, encouraging student
involvement, and enhancing motivation for learning (Polloway, Patton, &
Serna, 2001.)
One of the goals of cooperative learning is to disrupt typical hierarchies of
who is “smart” and who is not; Cohen (1994) has extensively documented the
ways in which issues of societal status are often reproduced within cooperative
learning activities unless specific steps are taken to alter that relationship. Cooperative
learning can allow all students to work together, each student experiencing
the role of teacher and of learner, and each student modeling recognition of
and respect for many different skills and learning styles. If teachers or students
are uncomfortable with cooperative learning, it is often because they have
adopted a particular technique without a firm understanding of the underlying
principles and do not have sufficient support to implement creative, multilevel
cooperative learning activities that allow students to participate at different
levels, with differentiated goals and varying levels of support.