Learning Is Better Together: Cooperative Learning Strategies

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Learning Is Better Together: Cooperative Learning Strategies

Educational Psychology · Chapter 9: Instructional Strategies and Effective Teaching PracticeSection 9.7 · lesson 89 of 1008 min · free with a free account

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In this lesson

Cooperative structures, positive interdependence, and the end of the free rider.

  • Distinguish cooperative learning from informal group work
  • Describe STAD and Numbered Heads Together
  • Name Johnson and Johnson's five essential elements
  • Design for individual accountability

Transcript

Everything said in the video, section by section (1,041 words). Read along, or search it.

Instructional Strategies and Effective Teaching Practice

Learning Is Better Together

Most teachers have watched group work fail in the same way. One student does everything. Two watch. One disappears. Cooperative learning is the structured answer to that failure. And it has one of the strongest evidence bases in education. This section covers what makes it different from ordinary group work. We will look at two core structures in detail. STAD, developed by Robert Slavin, and Numbered Heads Together. Then Johnson and Johnson's five essential elements. Two of those elements do most of the work. Positive interdependence, and individual accountability. Together they make hiding inside a group impossible.

Definition

Structured Groups, Not Just Groups

Cooperative learning is a structured form of group instruction. Students work together toward shared academic goals. But with one crucial addition. Each member is held individually accountable for their contribution. Contrast that with informal group work. Informal grouping often produces unequal participation. And social loafing, which is the technical term for coasting. Cooperative learning has clearly defined roles and norms. And explicit accountability mechanisms built into the design. The field was developed by David and Roger Johnson. At the University of Minnesota. And by Robert Slavin, at Johns Hopkins University.

The Evidence

One of the Most Robust Practices There Is

The evidence base here is unusually deep. Research spanning several decades identifies it consistently. As one of the most robust instructional practices in education. Meta-analyses show significant gains in three areas. Academic achievement, social skills, and positive interdependence itself. And those gains hold against two different comparisons. Against competitive learning structures. And against individualistic ones, where students work alone. One finding is worth singling out. The effect size is particularly strong for a specific group. Students from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

STAD

Rewarding Improvement, Not Rank

The first structure is called STAD. That is Student Teams-Achievement Divisions, developed by Slavin. It is one of the most widely researched cooperative structures. Students are assigned to mixed-ability teams of four or five. The teacher presents new material to the whole class. Then teams study together, with a specific goal. To ensure all members can demonstrate mastery on a quiz. Each student then takes that quiz individually. And here is the design detail that makes STAD work. Each score is compared to that student's own past performance. Team rewards are based on collective improvement. Not on absolute scores, which would favor the same students every time. That removes competition between students of different ability levels.

Numbered Heads

Anyone Might Be Called

The second structure takes about ninety seconds to run. It is called Numbered Heads Together. Students in groups of three to five are numbered off. The teacher poses a question. Students discuss the answer collectively within their group. Then the teacher calls out a number. And the student with that number from each group responds. Notice where the accountability actually comes from. Because any student might be called, all of them must participate. All must prepare to articulate the group's thinking out loud. It is particularly effective for review, and for formative check-ins.

Five Elements

Johnson and Johnson's Requirements

Johnson and Johnson identified five essential elements. Elements of genuine cooperative learning. First, positive interdependence. Second, individual accountability. Third, promotive interaction. That means face-to-face encouragement and assistance among members. Fourth, social skills, which have to be taught rather than assumed. And fifth, group processing. That is reflection on how effectively the group worked together. And on what they could do better next time. These five are requirements, and not a menu to choose from. Group work missing several of them is just group work. And the research findings do not transfer to it.

Interdependence

I Cannot Succeed Unless You Succeed

Positive interdependence is the structural heart of the method. It is the condition in which each member's success is linked. Linked to the success of the group as a whole. The usual phrase for it is sink or swim together. Or, more precisely: I cannot succeed unless you succeed. It can be engineered in four different ways. Shared goals, divided resources, assigned roles, or joint rewards. Any of those four creates the same structural dependency. And that dependency changes what group work is. It stops being a social event and becomes a learning partnership. One where every member has a stake in everyone else's understanding.

Accountability

Nowhere to Hide

The second load-bearing element is individual accountability. It exists to prevent one specific failure. The free-rider problem that plagues unstructured group work. Each student must demonstrate their own learning. Through quizzes, presentations, or individual contributions to the product. Now consider what the two elements do in combination. Positive interdependence means students need each other. Individual accountability means they cannot hide behind each other. That combination is the optimal social learning condition. Either one alone produces a familiar classroom failure.

Five Structures

Key Feature, and How Accountability Is Enforced

Five structures, each with its own accountability mechanism. STAD uses mixed-ability teams and improvement scores. Accountability comes from individual quizzes. Jigsaw uses expert groups teaching home groups. Accountability comes from individual teaching responsibility. Think-Pair-Share uses brief partner discussion. Accountability comes from public sharing to the class. Numbered Heads Together uses numbered roles. Accountability comes from random selection for the response. And Round Robin has each member contribute in turn. Turn-taking itself ensures all of them participate. Read that last column again, because it is the design lesson. Every structure has a specific mechanism, not just good intentions.

Two Terms

Cooperative Is Not the Same as Collaborative

Two terms in this area get used interchangeably, and should not be. Cooperative learning, and collaborative learning. They represent genuinely distinct approaches. Cooperative learning is the more structured of the two. It has defined roles, and shared goals. Accountability mechanisms, and teacher-designed interdependence. Collaborative learning is more fluid than that. It relies on spontaneous interaction and shared intellectual work. Without any prescribed structure imposed on it. Both approaches have real value. But cooperative structures matter most in one situation. When a teacher wants to guarantee equitable participation. Rather than simply hoping for it.

Classroom Example

A STAD Lesson on the French Revolution

Here is STAD running in a tenth-grade history classroom. Four-member mixed-ability teams study the French Revolution. Specifically, its causes. The teacher presents the material to the whole class first. Then teams quiz each other using review cards. Individual quizzes are scored afterward. And each student's improvement over their baseline is calculated. The team with the highest average improvement earns recognition. Now think about what that scoring rule does socially. Low-scoring students contribute significantly to the team total. Their improvement points matter as much as a high performer's. Which changes who the team actually wants to help.

About Educational Psychology at UPI Study

Educational Psychology (Psychology 120) is a self-paced online course of 100 video lessons in 11 chapters, from memory, conditioning and child development to motivation, individual differences, assessment, instruction and educational technology. It carries a NCCRS credit recommendation for 3 semester credits.

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Why students take Educational Psychology with UPI Study

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Where the credit goes

Universities that work with NCCRS

Educational Psychology carries a NCCRS credit recommendation. These universities work with NCCRS; some are UPI Study's signed partners. ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.

Thomas Edison State UniversityThomas Edison State UniversitySigned partnerUniversity of the PeopleUniversity of the PeopleSigned partnerCharter Oak State CollegeCharter Oak State CollegeSigned partnerStrayer UniversityStrayer UniversitySigned partnerColumbia Southern UniversityColumbia Southern UniversitySigned partnerIndiana TechIndiana TechSigned partnerPenn StatePenn StateWorks with NCCRSSouthern New Hampshire UniversitySouthern New Hampshire UniversityWorks with NCCRSSUNYSUNYWorks with NCCRS +many more cooperating universitiesFind my college →

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FAQ

Questions students ask us

About Learning Is Better Together: Cooperative Learning Strategies

What is the difference between cooperative learning and ordinary group work?
Cooperative learning is structured group instruction in which students work toward shared academic goals while each member is held individually accountable, whereas informal group work often leads to unequal participation and social loafing. Cooperative learning uses defined roles, norms and explicit accountability mechanisms. Key developers of the approach include David and Roger Johnson at the University of Minnesota and Robert Slavin at Johns Hopkins University.
How does STAD (Student Teams-Achievement Divisions) work?
In STAD, developed by Robert Slavin, students form mixed-ability teams of four or five, the teacher presents material to the whole class, and teams study together so every member can master it. Each student then takes a quiz individually, and team rewards are based on each member's improvement over past performance rather than raw scores, so lower-scoring students can contribute as much as high performers.
What are Johnson and Johnson's five elements of cooperative learning?
David and Roger Johnson's five essential elements are positive interdependence, individual accountability, promotive interaction, social skills and group processing. Promotive interaction means face-to-face encouragement and help, social skills must be taught rather than assumed, and group processing means reflecting on how well the group worked. The elements are requirements, not a menu; group work missing several of them does not earn the research benefits.
How do you prevent free riders in group work?
Free riders are best prevented by building individual accountability into the task, so each student must demonstrate their own learning through quizzes, presentations or individual contributions. Numbered Heads Together is one structure: group members are numbered, the group discusses a question, and the teacher calls a number, so everyone must be ready to answer. Paired with positive interdependence, students need each other but cannot hide.

About the Educational Psychology course

How many college credits is Educational Psychology?
Educational Psychology (Psychology 120) carries a NCCRS credit recommendation for 3 semester credits. ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
How much does Educational Psychology cost and what is included?
$250, paid once, with lifetime access: all 100 video lessons, a practice quiz after each, the graded work and final exam, and an official transcript when you finish. Students who want several courses choose UPI Study PRO instead.
Which universities accept UPI Study credits?
UPI Study has signed partner agreements with universities such as Thomas Edison State University, University of the People and Charter Oak State College, and works with universities such as Penn State, SNHU and SUNY. ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities. Use "Find my college" on this page to check yours.
How long does Educational Psychology take?
It is self-paced with no deadlines. The 100 lessons total about 15 hours of video; most students add reading and practice time and finish in a few weeks to a few months, on their own schedule.
How are the exams done?
Quizzes and assignments are online in the course. The final exam is taken online with proctoring; a person on the UPI Study team checks assignments, usually within two days.
How do my credits reach my college?
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Ready for the full course? Earn 3 credits in Educational Psychology.

100 video lessons, a quiz after each one, and the graded work that earns the credit. Recommended for credit by NCCRS.

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