Laboratory studies at small scale for cooperative learning can first date back to 1920s, but it was not until 1970s that cooperative learning is recognized. With the endless efforts of a number of educators, cooperative learning has spread widely, covering almost the whole period form kindergarten and subjects including speaking, reading, math, management and so forth. Meanwhile, considerable evidence shows that when efforts are structured cooperatively, students are likely to exert more efforts to achieve more.
And although cooperation has been developed in foreign countries for decades, and had a considerable history of study, in our country it’s still in the category of the new things. From this aspect of view, we are lack of understanding and abilities to use it well. We are not able to see it from all sides which will make us overlook some important implementation details. And that will lead us go wrong. And although teachers try their best to practice it in their class with the wishes that it may help, for the most of time it isn’t able to get satisfied with what the teachers’ exactly want, or we can say that it hasn’t been used to a full play, for example, the real communication purposes are beyond the students’ recognition. And what’s worse, sometimes it will produce such mistakes that the procedures of the class can’t go smoothly and the classroom management is lost. And it suggests that we are lack of instructions about the tool, which do not combine the theory with the reality. All of the questions that occurred during cooperation indicate that there is still a long way to go before we can use the cooperation in the English classroom with facility.
Nowadays, China's new curriculum reform has reviewed a new learning concept, which promotes the persity of student learning, and cooperation is required by one of the new ways of learning and teaching. The communicative purposes would likely to be seen in the class. And the language teaching is facing a reform and change. And I suppose that the cooperative learning would be a both unique and appropriate way to achieve that. So, I insist that deep and consistent studies towards cooperative learning are necessary.
1.2 The significance of the research
In the era of globalization, the world becomes small and interaction among different nations becomes frequent. People in Multinationals are working together to survive and make money. European union are working together to contend against America. UN are working together for a better world. The new concept--“one belt and one road”, a regional cooperation platform which was put forward by prime minister Li, again addresses the importance of cooperation. It is without doubt that in today’s world, cooperation become so important that it has rooted in the heart of everyone.
However, it is rather a pity to point out that though the importance of cooperation has been recognized, the measure to improve one’s ability to cooperate has not yet applied into full play. When it comes into education, traditional way of learning, which focuses on inpidual performance, exerts a dominant position. Yet, this kind way of learning, from its method and form, cannot meet the need of enhancing students’ ability to cooperate. According to the requirements of curriculum, Thus, cooperative learning, a fairly new concept which is not far-away for everyone, shows its significance. Cooperative learning, which was first experimented in the late 1980s in America, has been brought about in China for some years and made some significant achievements.
However, for some reason, it is rather narrow in scope. It is mainly carried out in primary schools and grade 1 in middle school. As for junior high students, researches has not been done enough. Junior high students, whose physical and mental development has reached a certain level, is fairly suitable to develop their ability in cooperation. Therefore,researches that aims at junior high students on cooperative learning is necessary. 初中英语课堂中的合作学习(3):http://www.youerw.com/yingyu/lunwen_50327.html