Page 421 - Sociology and You

Chapter 12 Education
What is cooperative learning? Cooperative learning takes place in a nonbureaucratic classroom structure in which students study in groups, with teachers as guides rather than as the controlling agents (the “guide on the side” versus the “sage on the stage” approach). According to the coopera- tive learning method, students learn more if they are actively involved with others in the classroom (Sizer, 1996). The traditional teacher-centered ap- proach rewards students for being passive recipients of information and re- quires them to compete with others for grades and teacher recognition. Cooperative learning, with its accent on teamwork rather than individual per- formance, is designed to encourage students to concentrate more on the process of getting results than how their answers compare to those of other students. Cooperation replaces competition. Students typically work in small groups on specific tasks. Credit for completion of a task is given only if all group members do their parts.
Using this approach successfully requires some expertise on the part of the teacher and can initially discourage students who are motivated by letter grades based on individual work. Nevertheless, some benefits of the coop- erative learning approach have been documented (Children’s Defense Fund, 1991). For example,
❖ uncooperativeness and stress among students is reduced.
❖ academic performance increases.
❖ students have more positive attitudes toward school.
❖ racial and ethnic antagonism decreases.
❖ self-esteem increases.
What is the integrative curriculum? As you have seen, the curriculum is predetermined for students in the traditional classroom. In the integrative curriculum, however, the curriculum is created by students and teachers working together. Since students are asked to participate in curriculum de- sign and content, the integrative curriculum is democratic in nature. Giving students such power obviously deviates from the traditional subject-centered curriculum. Students and teachers become collaborators (Barr, 1995).
Subject matter is selected and organized around certain real-world themes or concepts. An example is a sixth-grade unit of study on
water quality in Washington State.
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cooperative learning
instructional method that relies on cooperation among students
integrative curriculum
an approach to education based on student-teacher collaboration
In an integrative curriculum, students apply teachings from many disciplines at the same time. Students shown here are on a field trip to explore mineral production in a local community.