Cooperative Learning For our Geometry Unit in Math, I designed a lesson where the students worked collaboratively in their groups (each group is named after a particular region in the United States, for example, the Midwest) to create an original set of lyrics to the song "What's in the Shape Box?" The students were given a specific geometric term and they were to originate four lyrics that described its properties to the tune of the song. They shared ideas with one another and also made necessary adjustments so that each contribution met the criteria. At the end of the lesson the students were able to share their lyrics with one another by performing their work in front of the class. Through this collaborative process, the students were able to generate strong ideas and therefore enhanced the learning process for others. I strongly believe that cooperative learning is a truly effective form of teaching due to the students educating and expressing what they know to one another instead of the teacher solely lecturing and also due to the enrichment of the classroom community. |