2.2 Basic Elements of Cooperative Learning
2.2.1 Positive Interdependence
Positive interdependence is the critical to the success of cooperative learning. Without positive interdependence, there is no cooperation. During cooperative learning activities, the accomplishment of the group goal should depend on a group members working together. They share their resources. Provide mutual support and celebrate their joint success. Various ways can be adopted to ensure positive interdependence. For example, it can be strengthened by joint rewards, that is, if all members of your group score 90 per cent correct or better in the test，each will receive 5 bonus points. It can be enhanced by giving inpiduals special role assignments within the group. (Cohen, 1994).
2.2.2 Face to Face Group Interaction
Group interaction is another feature of cooperative learning. Students interact face to face and link closely together. To set up meaningful face to face interaction the size of groups needs to be small, a group of 4 or 6 members can be particularly effective, since students can engage in both pair and group activities without having to change groups. But the teacher should catch the opportunity for students to promote each other’s success by sharing resources, helping, supporting, encouraging and praising each other’s efforts to learn.
2.2.3 Development of Small Group Social Skills
For the success of cooperative groups, inpidual members need to improve not only knowledge of subjects but also social skills to guarantee high quality cooperation. They need to learn how to work together as a team and how to help each other, such as teamwork facilitating, trust creating, problem-solving, leadership, communication and design—making in group interaction. These skills have to be taught and practiced before engaging in group’s tasks.
2.2.4 Group Processing
Group processing exists when group is working effectively and provides an opportunity for students to evaluate how well they interact while doing tasks and the difficulties that are encountered as different ideas are suggested or someone is noticeably silent or vocal. Groups need to describe what member actions are helpful and unhelpful and make decisions about what behaviors to continue or change. Students must be given the time and procedures for analyzing how their learning groups are functioned and how they are identifying and solving the problems they have met with. Without group processing, cooperative groups are only groups of students sitting together working on the same task.
2.3 Benefits of Cooperative Learning in Language Learning
With the implementation of Cooperative Learning in the language learning, students might be provided with more opportunities to participate, experience, and communicate and Cooperative Learning English. In cooperative group “students are expected to interact with one another as they take on roles, collectively engage in solving problems, explain the thinking to one another, and discuss ways to resolve conflicts that may arise” (Williams 101). They work together with the common goal of learning in cooperative group, help each other, and interact face to face.
Meanwhile positive interdependence, inpidual accountability and social skill are formed during the process of completing learning tasks. Cooperative Learning fosters positive social relations among classmates through peer collaboration and mutual assistance in small groups; it gives expression to the motivating effects of working together with others toward a common goal largely free from competition; and cultivates the pupils’ sense of acceptance on an equal footing with others in the group (Sharan and Shaulv, 1990). Cooperative Learning creates a more positive affective climate in the classroom, while it also inpidualizes instruction and raises student motivation (Long and Porter, 1985). By encouraging group interdependence, cooperative activities build greater learner confidence and self-esteem than in a competitive environment, where self-validation is dependent upon a continuing need to demonstrate success (Slavin 1990). An increase in self-confidence and self-esteem will lead to increased learner effort in language learning and a greater willingness to take risks or to continue attempting to make one’s views understood (Crandall, 1999). 合作学习在中学英语阅读教学中的应用(3):http://www.youerw.com/yingyu/lunwen_9517.html