Blog 2

Cooperative Learning

Cooperative learning is an approach to learning environments that emphasizes working together in small groups to achieve common goals. The main characteristic of cooperative learning is that it promotes teamwork, collaboration, and mutual support among students. The topic that I choose is “Economics in Life”. In cooperative learning, students are divided into groups and work together to complete tasks, solve problems, or achieve specific learning objectives. In the context of economics in our daily life, cooperative learning can be used to help young people understand the concepts of supply and demand, budgeting, and saving. Cooperative learning imparts learning through positive interdependence, individual accountability, face-to-face interaction, interpersonal skills, and reflection (Johnson & Johnson 1994).  

One key aspect of cooperative learning is that it instills the value of interdependence among students, as well as the importance of mutual support in reaching shared objectives (Johnson&Johnson 2018). In economics, interdependence is an essential concept that refers to the way in which the actions of one person can affect others and vice versa. One economic example of interdependence is a farmer and a grocer. The farmer grows the crops and sells them to the grocer, who then sells the crops to the customers. The success of the grocer is dependent on the farmer’s ability to grow quality crops, and the farmer’s success is dependent on the grocer’s ability to sell the crops. In a cooperative learning setting, students develop the skills to collaborate effectively and understand the significance of considering the needs and perspectives of others, as they work towards their shared goals.

Moreover, cooperative learning can also help students understand the importance of teamwork and collaboration in achieving success. In the context of economics, this means learning how to work with others in the economy, such as consumers, and producers to achieve common goals and find solutions to complex economic problems. This helps students to appreciate the interconnectedness of the economy and to recognize that their own success is interdependent with the success of others. The key components of successful cooperative learning are “Positive Interdependence, Individual and Group Accountabilit, Promotive Interaction, Interpersonal Skills, Group Processing” (Johnson & Johnson 2009).

Cooperative learning is a useful approach for teaching economics in our daily life because it allows students to practice decision-making and problem-solving skills in a real-world context. It also helps students understand the interdependence of economic actors and the impact that their decisions can have on others in the economy. Furthermore, cooperative learning can lead to a more engaging and enjoyable learning experience for students, as they are able to work with their peers and apply what they have learned to real-world situations. Overall, incorporating cooperative learning in the teaching of economics in daily life can have a positive impact on student’s learning outcomes and help prepare them for success in the future.

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Examples:

• Students could work together in groups to create a budget for a hypothetical household, taking into account different sources of income and expenses. They could also work together to simulate a market, taking on different roles as producers and consumers and making decisions based on the principles of supply and demand.
• Having students work together to research and present information about a current economic issue, such as inflation or the stock market. By working in groups, students can learn from each other and share different perspectives, allowing them to gain a deeper understanding of the topic.

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Why cooperative learning?

How to group students

Class example

Danger and cautions

Reference

Berkeley Greater Good Science Center. (n.d.). A Simple Bully-Buster: Cooperative Learning. Greater Good. Retrieved from https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/a_simple_bully_buster_cooperative_learning

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

Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (2018). Characteristics of Cooperative Learning. In Cooperative Learning in Education and Training. InTechOpen. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.81086

Northern Illinois University’s Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning. (n.d.). Cooperative Learning. Retrieved from https://www.niu.edu/citl/resources/guides/instructional-guide/cooperative-learning.shtml#:~:text=Cooperative%20learning%20imparts%20learning%20through,Johnson%20and%20Johnson%20(1994).

YouTube. (2017, Oct 5). Cooperative learning model: Strategies & Examples. [Video]. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnkKHL_dyGE