Thursday, April 17, 2014

Group Work

Teaching Context: ESL in Elementary setting 
Proficiency Level: Level 1 through Level 5 (WIDA)
Link: http://www.colorincolorado.org/educators/content/cooperative/
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtm5_w6JthA

Cooperative Learning 

                                           


                                          

Research has shown that students can benefit from cooperative learning, especially ELL students. Cooperative learning promotes learning and fosters respect and friendship among diverse students. Cooperative learning allows students to work together to resolve different problems and learn from each other. The teacher can separate the class into homogeneous or heterogeneous groups depending on the activities the students are working on. This strategy assist teachers address the CCSS/ WIDA standards by letting students participate and learn the content in a meaningful way. Students are still learning content but they are learning the same lesson in different ways, for example, in math students can come up with a different rule but arrived to the same answer. In reading, the students can discuss the author's point of view, not just the main character, but why the author wrote the book. "Small groups provide opportunities for students initiation, for face- to face give and take, for practice in negotiation of meaning, for extended conversational exchanges, and for students adoption of roles that would be otherwise be impossible" (Brown, 2001). 

 Some examples of Cooperative learning strategies are: 
  • Think- Pair- Share 
  • Elbow Buddies (the partner next to you) 
  • Jig- Saw 

Ways ELL students benefit from cooperative learning:          

  •  In his book "Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy" Brown states that through interaction, ELL students can increase their language store as they listen to or read authentic linguistic material. 
  • Promotes peer interaction which helps the development of language and the learning of concepts and content. 
  • ELL students learn to express themselves with confidence when working in small groups.

References

Colorin Colorado. (2007) Cooperative Learning Strategies. Colorincolorado.org. Retrieved from http://www.colorincolorado.org/educators/content/cooperative/

Brown. Douglas H. (2001) Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy. (pp. 165-190). Pearson: White Plains, NY

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