ative learning theorists ban competitive methods from the classroom and if so, on what grounds?
With respect to the foregoing, Slavin (1987) reports that cooperative learning theorists do not desire to rid the schools of competitive learning strategies; however, instead of having individuals compete against one another or teams compete against other teams, they would advocate that teams compete against their previous achievement records. This use of competition, according to Slavin, should not be to motivate students to "beat" other students but rather to motivate them to attain learning goals while at the same time motivating them to care about how other students on their team are doing---in effect, to want for their team members that which they want for themselves, namely goal attainment.
Slavin further notes that as used in the school classroom, competition tends to initiate learning patterns that leave some children feeling like "winners" while at the same time leaving others feeling like "losers." In this regard, he states that:
There's nothing wrong with competiti
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