Cooperative learning

Cooperative learning and other innovative ways of teaching children are more intrinsically motivating to elementary students than traditional approaches to instruction. Group learning approaches, sometimes known as cooperative or collaborative learning, are a recommended means of increasing student motivation in the elementary classroom because such approaches stress the intrinsic rewards of peer support and cooperation over such extrinsic (and temporary) rewards such as good grades or a pizza party on a Friday afternoon. Additionally, an elementary teacher needs to be mindful of children's individual learning styles and his or her own theoretical orientation in the classroom. In other words, children's levels of motivation are tied to factors which can be manipulated by a skilled instructor. The expanding teacher use of cooperative learning groups comes in many styles. An evaluation of cooperative learning strategies published in the September 1993 Elementary School Journal found that the effects of cooperative learning depended on the quality of group interaction, as one might expect. At the same time, the intrinsic nature of group-reinforcing behaviors such as compromise and cooperation lead to a furtherance of cooperation and motivation.

According to the above-mentioned article, as reported in the March, 1994, issue of Education Digest:

Frequent "high-quality" group experiences--in which group members were friendly, helped one another, showed concern for one anot

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subject matter gets more difficult, some students may "give up" if they do not encounter enough successes. Steinberg (1993) believes, "When the work becomes more difficult, children who have come to expect a string of successes may fall apart. In the long run, it may be better for students to learn to view their mistakes--and the feedback that accompanies these--as sources of information for future efforts rather than evidence of low ability" (p. 54). Steinberg's (1993) view suggests that elementary teachers should look at motivation, not as an individual trait, but as a classroom issue. Steinberg (1993) offers the view that by not following a more traditional path we can improve upon levels of classroom motivation: We do not spend enough time looking at how the organization of the classroom shapes and socializes adaptive and maladaptive motivation patterns. Teachers should investigate possible negative effects of such daily occurrences as public evaluation practices, normative comparisons, extrinsic rewards, ability grouping, and emphasis on production, speed, and perfection. (p. 54) The above discussion makes apparent the need for a greater attentiveness to group behavior over individual attributes. The overall classroom

Category: Psychology - C