How to Use Cooperative Learning to Teach Mathematics & Science

Cooperative learning promotes teamwork and social skills.

Cooperative learning is a teaching strategy that can be used to help students of different ability levels solve problems by working together. The key to cooperative learning is that each member of the team has an important role and is responsible to all other members of the group. Cooperative learning not only helps teach a particular topic in a lesson, it also fosters teamwork and promotes social skills. Cooperative learning can be used to teach all subjects, including math and science.

Instructions

1. Prepare the lesson so that each group member has a particular task or role they must play within the group. Assign these roles to each student -- do not let them select roles. For example, in a science lesson or experiment, have one student do measuring, while another completes a table or graph of the information, and another makes notes and observations. Match specific tasks to each student's skill level if necessary.

2. Assign a report to each group, with each student responsible for one aspect of the report. For example, one student completes the research, another graphs the results, another designs the presentation and another delivers the report to the class. Each student must cooperate and work together to make sure the report is seamless and understood by everyone in the group. The students must be graded as a group and not given separate grades. This works well for science lessons and experiments.

3. Give each student a piece of a puzzle that must be combined with other pieces to solve a problem. This can be used for math lessons. For example, in a perimeter problem, give each student a small piece of paper with one fact on it like, "Suzy walked the length of Main Street, which is 200 feet," and, "Marcus walked the lengths of Fourth and South Streets for a total of 600 feet." Continue so that students must work together to find the perimeter of the area.

4. Create math games that present multiple step problems to the group. Each group member is given a step they must complete before submitting the final answer. For example, the answer to step one provides a vital piece of information to complete step 2 and so on. When done, the group presents their work and the final answer to the teacher. If the answer is incorrect, the teacher can help identify which step needs correcting and who may assist with the problem. Correct answers may get small prizes for completion.

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure students understand the expectations for the assignment. Monitor the groups to make sure they remain on-task.

References

• Kennesaw State University: Cooperative Learning
• LD Online: Using Cooperative Learning to Teach Mathematics to Students with Learning Disabilities
• NSTA Communities: Cooperative Learning in the Lab