Cooperative learning is also regarded as a small-group learning which is a teaching approach that divides a class of students into small groups working together on a task in the meantime helping each other developing potentials. The essence of cooperative learning is to showcase the positive effects of interdependence so that students feel responsible for the effort they made for the team. In addition to the positive interdependence, according to David Johnson and Roger Johnson (1999), there are four key factors to support the cooperative learning including face-to-face interaction, individual and group accountability, group behaviors and group processing. With help of cooperative learning, teacher is no longer taking the sole responsibility of educating. Instead, the group of students shared the roles of both learner and teacher. In each group, everyone’s role in the team is discussed and determined by the group. Besides, they make assessment of their learning by examining each other according to the learning goals set by all. Johnson & Johnson (1999) claims that cooperative learning contributes to not only a higher group achievement but a huge individual improvement in addition to a healthier relationship with peers and mental statement. They also argue that cooperative learning helps to foster a healthier self-esteem (Johnson & Johnson, 1999).

From my perspective, Cooperative learning should be based on a reasonable combination of gender ratio, interest tendency, learning level, and communication skills. In essence, each group of 4-6 people sits in a rectangular shape to facilitate group discussion after face-to-face guidance. Cooperative learning also facilitates resource sharing and facilitates mutual help. First of all, the instructor can set some competition between the groups so they can make progress together. The problems that arise between the groups must first be solved by members of the group. If they fail to solve them, they can ask other groups for help. Through everyone ’s efforts, the problems are solved together.

The blueprint learning process that our group chose is language learning. The cooperative learning approach is suitable for language learning because language learning includes listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The group learning can facilitate practicing listening and speaking ability. We know that the purpose of learning English is to communicate, so language has become a tool for communication. The purpose of our teaching is that students can not only understand that the teacher teaches in English in class, communicate with classmates in English and express their own ideas, but also use English outside the class to communicate with native English speakers.

Reference

Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (1999). Making cooperative learning work. Theory into Practice: Building Community through Cooperative Learning, 38(2), 67-73. doi:10.1080/00405849909543834