Teacher Practical Guidance:

Cooperative Learning

Category: Strategy

Rank Order

34

Effect Size

0.59

Achievement Gain %

22

How-To Strategies

Why Collaborative and Cooperative Learning Benefit Achievement:

  • Enhanced academic performance and retention

 

  • Improved problem solving and critical thinking skills

 

  • Develops leadership skills

 

  • Development of listening and communication skills

 

  • Increased motivation and engagement

 

  • Promotion of diversity and inclusion

 

  • Better attitudes toward school

 

  • Better teamwork

 

  • Increased meta-cognitive thinking

 

  • More frequent and diverse feedback

 

  • Students working in groups communicate ideas and knowledge within the context of their own understanding

 

  • Students working together generate new approaches and ideas at a much greater rate

 

  • Students benefit from giving and receiving help. Penn State University (2017) link

 

 

Cooperative Learning Strategies & Activities:

  • Literacy stations

 

  • Small-group instruction and rotations

 

  • Peer-to-peer

 

  • Small-group peer team

 

  • Games

 

  • Group investigations

 

  • Tournament

 

  • Jigsaw method

 

  • Think-Pair-Share

 

  • Circle the SAGE

 

  • Rally Coach

 

  • Speed Quizzes

 

  • Puzzle Pieces

 

  • BrainWriting

 

  • Freeride elimination

 

  • Focused lists

 

  • Short papers

 

  • Numbered assignments

 

  • Quads

 

  • Group investigation

 

  • Mixed skills groups

 

  • Brainstorming – Brainwriting. Perplexity (2024), Indeed (2024) Link, Thinkific (2023) Link,

 

 

 

Strategies for Implementation of Cooperative Learning:

  • Teach students how to work in cooperative groups; participate in lessons on what students are to do and how to engage

 

  • Start with a clear goal and purpose

 

  • Share specific success criteria and indicators

 

  • Structured roles within group

 

  • Regular reflection and “check-in” time

 

  • Monitor group projects. link

 

 

5 Key Elements of Cooperative Learning: (Johnson, 2009)

  • Positive interdependence exists when one student’s success influences the chances of other students’ successes.

 

  • Individual accountability involves two components: each student is responsible for his or her own learning; and each student is responsible for helping the other group members learn.

 

  • Promotive interactions occur when individuals encourage and facilitate each other’s efforts to accomplish the goal of the group.

 

  • Effective collaboration includes giving and receiving elaborate explanations with a focus on encouraging understanding.

 

  • Knowledge building discourse is fostered in democratic environments where the teacher is no longer the arbiter of truth.

 

 

 

Disadvantages of Cooperative / Collaborative Learning:

  • Individual accountability may be reduced

 

  • Takes more time

 

  • Uneven work distribution

 

  • Difficult to assess and evaluate

 

  • Potential for conflict

 

  • Need for significant teacher prep and training

 

  • Management challenges – “hogs and logs” Link

How-To Resources

Link – ARTICLE (WMU) Cooperative learning

 

Link – BOOK (Nathan) Collaborative classroom: 50 strategies

 

Link – BOOK (Corwin) Leading Cooperative Learning

 

Link – WEBSITE (Coop. Learning) Cooperative Learning Institute

 

Link – ARTICLE (PSU) Benefits of Cooperative Learning

 

Link – ARTICLE (Blog) Making Cooperative Learning Work Better

 

Link – ARTICLE (Cooperative Institute) Cooperative Learning

 

Link – ARTICLE (UC) Why is Cooperative Learning Important?

 

Link – ARTICLE (SimpleK-12) What is Cooperative learning?

 

Link – ARTICLE (TeacherVision) A Guide to Cooperative Learning

 

Link – ARTICLE (UNI) Advantages and Disadvantages of Cooperative Learning

 

Link – ARTICLE (Thinkific) Cooperative learning strategies

 

Link – SLIDES (K-12) Cooperative Learning

 

Link – VIDEO (study) Cooperative learning

 

Link – VIDEO (YouTube) Cooperative Learning in Elementary School

 

Link – VIDEO (YouTube) Cooperative Learning Models and Strategies

 

Link – VIDEO (YouTube) Kagan Cooperative Learning Strategies

References

Baker, T., & Clark, J. (2010). Cooperative learning – a double edged sword: A cooperative learning model for use with diverse student groups. Intercultural Education, 21(3), 257–268.

 

Deming, D. (2017). The growing importance of social skills in the labor market. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 132(4), 1593-1640.

 

Garmston, R., & Wellman, B. (2016). The adaptive school: A sourcebook for developing collaborative groups (3rd edition). Rowman & Littlefield.

 

Gillies, Robyn (2016). “Cooperative Learning: Review of Research and Practice” (PDF). Australian Journal of Teacher Education. 41 (3): 39–51.

 

Gillies, Robyn; Ashman, Adrian (2003). Cooperative Learning: The Social and Intellectual Outcomes of Learning in Groups. Oxon: Routledge. pp. 49

 

Hackman, J. (2011). Collaborative intelligence: Using teams to solve hard problems. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler.

 

Hackman, J. (1991). Groups that work (and those that don’t). Joey Bass. San Francisco.

 

Hall, L. (1989). The effects of cooperative learning on achievement: A meta-analysis. Dissertation Abstracts International, 50, 343A.

 

Johnson, D.W. (2009). An Educational Psychology Success Story: Social Interdependence Theory and Cooperative Learning. Educational Researcher. 38 (5): 365–379.

 

Johnson, D., Johnson, R. (1994). Learning together and alone: cooperative, competitive, and individualistic learning. Needham Heights, MA: Prentice-Hall.

 

Johnson, D., et al (1981). Effects of cooperative, competitive, and individualistic goal structures on achievement: A meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 89(1).

 

Johnson, David (1978). Cooperative, competitive, and individualistic learning. Journal of Research and Development in Education. 12: 3–15.

 

Kagan, S. 1994. Kagan cooperative learning. 2nd ed. San Clemente, CA: Kagan Publishing.

 

MacLaren, N., et. al. (2020). Testing the babble hypothesis: Speaking time predicts leader emergence in small groups. The Leadership Quarterly, 31.

 

Ostrowski, B., et. al. (2022). Translating member ability into group brainstorming performance: The role of collective intelligence. Small Group Research, 53 (1).

 

Paulus, P., Yang, H. (2000). Idea generation in groups: A basis for creativity in organizations. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 82 (1).

 

Rothwell (2004). Instruction based on cooperative learning. Handbook of Research on Learning and Instruction.

 

Slavin, R. E. (1990). Cooperative learning. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall.

 

Slavin, Robert E. (November 1983). When does cooperative learning increase student achievement? Psychological Bulletin. 94 (3): 429–445.

 

Sorensen, Susan M. (1981). Grouphate: a negative reaction to group work. Annual Meeting of the International Communication Association. ERIC ED204821

Cooperative Learning 

DEFINITION

Cooperative learning is an educational approach that organizes classroom activities into collaborative experiences, where students work together in small groups to achieve shared learning goals. This method emphasizes positive interdependence, where each member’s success is linked to the group’s overall achievement, fostering a sense of responsibility among participants for both their own learning and that of their peers.

Cooperative learning differs from traditional group work by requiring structured interaction and accountability among group members. It is designed not just to have students work together but to ensure that they do so in ways that enhance their collective and individual learning outcomes. Perplexity (2025)

DATA

  • 37 meta-analysis reviews

  • 1,376 research studies

  • 144,000 students in studies

Hattie (2023) p. 350

QUOTES

“Employers want team players, translators, communicators, and those with high social skills. Therefore, we educators need to have a higher focus on teaching students how to collaborate.” Deming (2017)

 

“Student learning increases when teachers involve them in the design of lessons, developing a strong monitoring and evaluation plan, and learning from them”. Hattie (2023) p. 67

 

“Cognitive science tells us that learning is socially constructed and individually integrated.  Learning therefore, requires engaging with other learners and is an active process for all involved. Individual and collective learning is a key characteristic of cooperative learning.” Garmston & Wellman (2016)

 

 

 

“Learning is a social activity. As Vygotsky argued, interactive social communication and activity are the basis for a child’s successful cognitive development. But in may classrooms, students sit in groups but work alone.” Hattie (2023) p. 382

 

 

 

“The core question is how to make cooperative groups work successfully. Teaching specific cooperative learning strategies like how to reach consensus, leads to better outcomes.  There is a need to provide scaffolding, such as assigned roles and metacognitive prompts; teach turn-taking; and provide reminders to generate explanations and to reflect on their work.” Hattie, 2023 p. 384