Lesson 13: Cooperative Learning with the Computer

   

    Truly, the 1:1 ratio of computer and students is still an ideal to be achieved because even progressive countries are still in the running in achieving that. But this should not be taken so negatively since it has benefits. This situation offers the way for cooperative or collaborative learning to come in. Since students have to share computers, they also in one way or another get to learn together with other students and share their ideas.  

   Collaborative or cooperative learning is learning in groups to achieve a common goal. However, in order for a group work to be called cooperative, it must have the following: common goal – the group must have a unanimous target so that they can work together towards the achievement of that goal; interdependence – members of the group must depend on each other (but not totally be dependent like leave the task to others) in a manner that the job is shared and everyone has its job; interaction – everyone in the group must interact and participate in the work; individual accountability – each one must take responsibility and do his/her job in the group; and social skills – members of the group must not only be interactive but must also know how to establish and maintain good relationship with other members of the group. From the prerequisites above, it can be said then that not every group work is a cooperative one. A group of people may do the same thing in the same place but may have different targets.

  Cooperative learning also has its benefits. This type of learning is active and students in the process are motivated to learn. Since it encourages group work there is big chance that students will learn more since they can learn from their group mates and in the end there is an increase in the academic performance of the students. Above all, the teacher becomes more effective since he/she is also manifesting the other functions of a teacher being a facilitator of learning (since in this approach students learn together from their group mates and the teacher is no longer the sole source of information). Students develop socially and personally.