COOPERATIVE LEARNING

    After reading  the article of Jette Stenlev about cooperative learning  in foreign language teaching I´d like to point out some important ideas here. As Spenser Kagan , the leading figure in cooperative learning says , cooperative learning is a teacher´s dream. Why?  Because it works well. 

   First of all it combines various levels  of simultaneous  learning processes – it challenges students  at the intellectual  as well as the social level. Cooperative earning consist in  learning in small groups  where interaction is structured according to carefully  worked-our principles.  Learners work in small teams , often of four students , in face-to- face interaction, which is a very important element.

   It can be used in all subjects but it is very effective in language teaching  where communication is a goal, and I totally agree with Jette Stenlev in the idea that “TEACHING ITSELF OUGHT TO BE COMMUNICATIVE … NOT JUST DO EXERCISES AIMED AT FUTURE COMMUNICATION”.

     The four basic principles of cooperative learning process are the following:

1)    Simultaneous interaction: everyone  should  work at the same time.

2)    Equal participation: no one should be forgotten.

3)    Positive  interdependence: the contribution of each student  is a piece of a total work.

4)  Individual accountability: every student has an important role in the interaction pattern, knowing something others can use.

These principles make student indispensable  to the rest of the group. Everyone is listened and taken seriously what enhances the self-esteem and motivation.