Learning how to be cooperative and learn in 'Cooperative Learning'. Working thoroughly, thoughtfully, and carefully each day.

Adeline explaining how she made the big paper airplane so she could do an experiment and see how it flew. She wondered if the size change would make a difference. How to she put the plan together was great--she taped 4 pieces of paper together and then did the same folds. It was an excellent example of taking the Scientific Process and using it.

To have a comparable height to the yellow bench in the classroom, she stood on the playground tire. We figured out where two meters would be and then she gave it a fly. It did well. Landing is hard on the paper nose portion, but folding the wings just like the small design of Airplane B showed that the wings are made for distance. 

Cooperative Learning takes on all kinds of projects and shapes. It can be as simple as what the kids are learning now in Morning Meeting where they "Mill to Music" or a much more complex lesson together as shown in these photos of getting started "Creating Dinner for 2 on a Budget of $43.29. 

Cooperative Learning has many moving parts and one goal. The goal is for each student to process deeply and work thoroughly through material. The directions I give are explicitly clear so that they see that the things that corrupt this type of work are made clear. It is obvious--side chats, not knowing the directions, letting one person do the work, not finishing, sloppiness. 

In order to get the great benefits from learning together, we do lots of small activities that help them learn the best ways to work together. And, we spend a healthy amount of time TBaA. That is Thinking Back and About what we do or Reflecting. Research for learning shows that that is how our brains retain and make connections to material and the process. I build reflection in to all types of things we do from how we line up to having the kids come up to the Document Camera, as they did yesterday, to show examples of work that set the standard by showcasing the understanding of criteria and effort.

 All these skills take time to learn and we have to parse them and make sense of them. It is really exciting to see the growth that the kids make when they apply what they are doing.

These pictures are the start of the partners that we given by random--using a set of Braille Cards. Partners are found and directions are gone over again. The planning of a compete dinner using the newspaper grocery inserts. The kids were having such a good time.  In our debrief 

the number one thing that they all looked for was food that was cheap. That was a surprise! The menus for these dinners may be only appealing to 4th graders! :)

As we continue today with them writing up their work again--more legibly with all the information to explain their choices, and a line segment to show their calculations, and a bar graph to show expenses, it will be a first draft. Then we can create a criteria list looking at other bar graphs again and make sure they are making good example to show their thinking.
Going through Cooperative Learning takes time-- we did several 'Fish Bowl' activities where 4 students are in the middle of class and the others watch those students learn how to share information. That is everything from getting the order of who will talk first to how to ask questions, to staying on track and making sure everyone is heard in the time allowed. That is a lot to do. It is necessary for these kids to do these skills to be successful in learning for themselves and with others.