Integrated Curriculum and Cooperative Learning

Paper Summary:

In this article, the writer highlights how encompassing curriculum setups that utilize the phenomenon of collaborative learning (CL) can allow the students to attain a more astute, intelligent, appropriate and evocative educational standard. The writer first explains what CL is and how it works. The paper highlights different case studies that have been carried out under different circumstances and with different approaches of CL and then highlights how these support or refute the statement that the use of CL helps build a stronger and widened educational horizon. The writer concludes that the results show that the overall impact of the use of CL has been welcomed and has been constructive in most regions and faculties. All of the case studies highlighted in this paper show that the overall student performance, student satisfaction, communication, intelligence and grasp of the subject increased more so with the use of CL strategies as opposed to conventional teaching techniques.

Outline:
Introduction
Case Studies in Support of the Use of Cooperative Learning
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Interpersonal and small-group proficiencies include individual characteristics like listening to all members, mutual decision-making, allocating and taking liability, a two-way response structure, and shared support. These can be instigated in the students by developing methods where the children can work cooperatively and in a united manner. The supportive face-to-face communication as the name suggests is a very personal nose-to-nose discussion that takes place within every team and amongst its members. Usually this discussion is done on relevant and related subjects. Constructive inter-reliance basically means trusting your teammates that you work with to attain a specified goal. Individual responsibility as the name suggests is taking responsibility for one's own contribution in the attainment of a task. Group management in its fundamental form is mainly a monitoring and evaluation process of the level and degree of success that the group is achieving in the attainment of its goal. Many researchers have highlighted the following elements as also influential in creating a successful CL experience ..."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Becker, W. E. (2004). "Quantitative research on teaching methods in tertiary education", in Becker, W. E. and M. L. Andrews (eds) The scholarship of teaching and learning in higher education, contributions of research universities, Bloomington: Indiana University Press.
• Beckman, M. (1990). "Collaborative Learning: Preparation for the Workplace and Democracy," College Teaching, 38(4), 128-133.
• Davis B. G. (1993). Collaborative Learning: Group Work and Study Teams[From the hard copy book Tools for Teaching by Barbara Gross Davis; Jossey-Bass Publishers: San Francisco, 1993]
• Dyson, B. (2001). Cooperative learning in an elementary school program. Journal of Teaching in Physical Education, 20, 264-281.
• Dyson, B. and Rubin, A. (2003). Implementing Cooperative Learning in Elementary Physical Education. JOPERD: The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance. 74: 1.

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