ooms containing children of diverse ethnic and racial backgrounds.
Cooperative Learning Strategies, Methods, and Concepts
According to Ornstein and Hunkins (1993), two cooperative learning strategies that have been used in many multicultural settings are the student team achievement divisions (STAD), and the team-assisted instruction (TAI) methods. Not only do these strategies foster cooperation and integration among various ethnic groups, they also have been found to elevate student achievement.
The STAD method requires that four to five member teams by balanced by ability, gender, and ethnicity. Test scores or grades are used to rank students; they are then divided into thirds or quarters.
Each STAD team consists of one student drawn from each of the thirds or quarters of the class ranks with extra middle-ranked students becoming the fourth or fifth members. The students then work cooperative in groups to learn class material.
STAD requires that class quizzes be given frequently in order to determine whether students have learned the material. Student scores are then averaged into a general team score--a procedure that makes it more likely that students will help one another.
High average scores or improvement scores are reinforced with teacher recognition. In addition, individual team members are recognized for good performance, a component of the strategy that is said to help maintain motivation. However, when applying recognition, teachers are required to keep a balance between the individual and the team.
Every five to six weeks STAD teams are changed. The purpose of the change is to provide students with an opportunity to work with other students and to give students in low-scoring teams a new chance to learn.
Team-assisted instruction is similar to STAD,although the emphasis in these groups is more on diagnosing or mastering certain skills through practice. Whereas STAD requires that stude...