Cooperative Learning
In the new paradigm of education personality has central place.
Personality-centred (child-centred) teaching techniques and methods help us develop the
creative abilities and talents of every student. They give him/her all the conditions for
self-expression, self-assessment and activity.
The more the elements of new techniques and methods are used at the
lesson and extracurricular activities, the more motivated students become. New teaching
technologies such as NLP, Project Method, Cooperative Learning, technology of workshops
and many others enhance classroom communication.
The main aim of cooperative learning is to create the conditions for
students’ joint activity. Studies show that learning and working together is easier,
more interesting and more effective. The effectiveness touches not only upon students’
school success but also their intellectual and moral development.
There are two main kinds of cooperation:
1) student-teams and 2) team-games. I use the elements of pedagogy of cooperation when
organizing and directing games, holiday-parties, debates, conferences. We stage Christmas
fairy-tales, hold Halloween and Easter parties, celebrate St. Valentine’s Day, etc.
Sometimes I put on masks and costumes myself.
I like to hold these events according to the motto “Here and Now”.
For example, a press-conference. All students are divided into the following groups:
1) American and British guests;
2) Reporters from Khakasia;
3) Editorial board.
Fifteen minutes are given for preparation before we begin.
The first group reviews the most important facts about the USA and the
UK and “the guests” are ready to answer any questions about their countries and
people, their attitude to the Russian and Khakas people, and to share their impressions
about Khakasia. The second group prepares interesting questions, sometimes with a sense of
humour. The third group is ready with the poster “Welcome to Khakasia”, name-badges
for the guests and place markers. The leader starts and finishes the conference. Everybody
enjoys it.
Project method is widely used in my work too. There are different kinds
of projects, such as creative, informative, and role-games. My students make projects on
various topics. For example, the students of Form 6 prepare role-projects: “At the
Hospital”, “At the Police Station”, “In the Shop”; informative projects like
“The Best Candidate for Class President”, “School of the Future”, “My Dream
Clothes”...
The students of Form 8 present projects such as: “My
Country/Britain/the USA at a Glance” “Table Manners”, “My Favourite Holiday” and
others.
According to NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) all people have either
active visual, sound or sensuous dominating channels of perception. That’s why:
1. The material of the lesson should be presented in three ways (every student should
see, hear and feel a piece of information).
2. A student shouldn’t be compared with other students. He/she must be compared only
with him/herself in his/her “zone of success”.
3. Such words as “not”, “no”, “must”, “don’t” are not allowed.
4. All known and learned schemes, tables, posters are hung to the left of the students (in
their active “zone of mind”).
5. A teacher should be tolerant of students’ mistakes. Using the elements of NLP I teach
my students to spell correctly. The approach is the following:
1) I make my students imagine the most comfortable place they have
been, (in a forest, near a river...)
2) I ask the students to look at the words (3-5 words) and pronounce them after me.
3) The students close their eyes and imagine the words in the left corner of the room.
4) The students pronounce the words after me once more.
5) They open their eyes and write the words down in their exercise-books.
I use the elements of NLP learning poems and songs with my students.
a) My students listen to a poem/song for the first time.
b) I make up the Word Web on the blackboard with the words the children have caught.
c) The poem/ song is presented for the second time and the Word Web is completed.
d) The pupils learn it by heart.
I use Word Webs in various topic situations as well. For example, I ask
my students to imagine that we are going to the UK/the USA/Moscow... The question is
“Where can we get the information about travelling to the USA?” or “Why do people
travel to the USA?’... etc.
The pupils complete the Web:
I use the elements of “non-verbal language communication” in
teaching English too, especially with learning poems, songs and dramatizing.
At my lessons and extracurricular activities I often use the formats of
such popular TV games as: “Who? Where? When?”, “Field of Wonders”, “Lucky
Chance”, “Brain-ring”, “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”
By Ludmila Khotyanovich,
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