class activities of cooperative learning

Class Activities that use Cooperative Learning

1.    Three-Step Interview
Three-step interviews can  be used to get to know concept in depth or can be used as an ice-breaker for team members to get to know one another. Each member of a team chooses another member to be a partner. During the first step individuals interview their partner by asking clarifying question. During the second step partners reverse the roles. For the final step, members share their partner’s response with the team.

2.    Think-Pair-Share
Useful to encourage time on task and listening to each other. After rehearsing in pairs, more students are likely to respond.

1.    Student listen while the teacher poses a question.
2.    Student are given time to think of a response.
3.    Students pair with a neighbor and discuss their responses
Students are then invited to share their responses with the whole group or another pair.

3.    Talking Chip
Each student is given a certain number of chips. Each time they talk they must submit a chips, but once their chips are gone they may no longer talk. Students must use all their chips.

4.    Inside or Outside Circle
Devide class in half. One group forms a circle facing outward, the others find one person in the circle to stand opposite, so there are two circles of people facing each other. Information can be shared and reviewed, and outer circle can move easily to generate more responses or discuss new information.

5.    Round Robin
Class is divided into small groups (4 to 6) with one person as the recorder. A question is poses with many answers and students are given time to think  about answers.
After the “think time”, members of the team share responses  with one another round robin style. The recorder writes down the answers of the groups members. The person next to the recorder  starts and each person in the group in order give an answer until time is called.

6.    Numbered Heads Together
This strategy is useful to check for understanding, to reviews, as an antidote to the whole class question-answer format. A team of four is established. Each member is given numbers of 1,2,3.4.questions are asked of the group. Groups works together to answer the questions so  that all can verbally answer the question. Teacher calls out a number (two)  and each two is asked to give the answer.

7.    Jigsaw
Jigsaw can be use to develop a concept, master content, for discussion and group projects. Groups with four students are set up.  Each group member is  assigned some unique material to learn and then to teach to his group members. To helps in the learning students across the class  working on the same sub-section get together to decide what is important and how to teach it.  After practice in these “expert” groups the original groups reform and students teach each other.