Creating Co-Operative Classrooms (© Julie McCracken)

Deprecated: Function get_catname is deprecated since version 2.8.0! Use get_cat_name() instead. in /home/adding/public_html/transformingcommunication.com/wp-includes/functions.php on line 5383

Deprecated: Function get_catname is deprecated since version 2.8.0! Use get_cat_name() instead. in /home/adding/public_html/transformingcommunication.com/wp-includes/functions.php on line 5383

Creating Co-Operative Classrooms

Like many teachers, I enjoy the challenge of molding a class of students into a cohesive and cooperative group, where achievement and the development of self confidence and self esteem are the
main focus. I have never really thought about how this is done. It seemed to me to be something that
occurred naturally and depended on the mix of students in the class at the time. I had never really
taken the time to focus on the things that I could do to enhance this process and to ensure that it
happened quickly and easily.
It wasn’t until I had an unusually dysfunctional senior class, that consisted of five different groups
with almost nothing in common, and didn’t like each other much that I realised I needed a strategy
that could be used consistently with every class. Establishing rapport with individual groups in this
particular class was easy, but I could not seem to get the groups to function together. As a result, the
class deteriorated rapidly, with students becoming habitually late and uncooperative. I was forced to
spend more and more of my time dealing with ‘control’ issues, rather than facilitating learning.
This situation was not helped by the fact that we used three different classrooms. One particular room
was small, over crowded and poorly ventilated and it had very negative anchors for many of the
students. Time spent in this room was not constructive.
The workload we had to get through, as a University bursary class, was very demanding. It became
clear to me that something needed to change quickly or we were not going to complete the course
before the end of year exams. I needed to find a way to bring the groups together and develop a cooperative learning environment quickly and effectively.
The strategy I chose to implement took one period. It involved four main steps:
1 Setting the Scene:

I began by explaining that I believed that I had made a serious mistake with the way I had been
treating the class and I needed their help as I didn’t know what to do about it. This was a real
attention grabber! I went on to explain that I had been trying to regard them as equals and as adults
but I was feeling very uncomfortable with the way things were going and I would like to discuss this.
I then outlined some of my concerns about the lack of progress being made, lateness etc.
By asking for their advice I was treating them as equals, and by outlining my concerns, I had set the
scene for the discussion that followed.
1 Finding the Common Thread:

At this point, It was appropriate to check whether everyone was on the path to achieving the goals that
they had set at the start of the year. To help with this, I distributed a five-page copy of the bursary
syllabus so they could see exactly what had to be completed by the end of the year. I then asked them
to remove the last page of the syllabus. This was approximately the amount of content that would not
be completed at the current work rate. It was obvious to everyone that no-one would achieve their
goals unless a dramatic change took place.
I reiterated that my goal was for everyone to do their best, and that I was there to help them and
support them to do this. I could only reach my goal, when they reached theirs! Suddenly we all had
something in common – one small but vital thread that linked everyone together – we all wanted to
achieve our goals!
2 Class Agreements:
The next step was to focus on the kind of environment we would like to create – one that would
encourage and enable everyone to achieve their goals. To do this we decided to create a class list of
agreements to support our goals, one that everyone would agree to abide by.
Before we brainstormed our agreements, I explained that I had an obligation to consider the school
rules. If any of our agreements required a departure from these I would have to seek the principal’s
permission. Students accepted this as a genuine effort on my part to see that we reached agreements
that would really work, and at the same time there were certain restrictions that we needed to observe.
It took approximately 20 minutes to achieve a unanimous decision on the following list of agreements:
• Be respectful of others.
• It is okay to eat in class (within reason).
• It is okay to ask questions.
• Arrive on time – if you are late no excuse is necessary, but enter quickly and quietly.
• It is okay to choose to do the work in class or at home – as long as it is done.
• Pay attention when someone is talking to the class.
• It is okay to enjoy yourself.
Although these agreements were similar to the ‘rules’ that I had tried to implement previously, the
difference was that these were our agreements and everyone was responsible for them.
Some agreements required clarification and discussion. For example, eating in class is against the
school rules and we needed to discuss the reasons behind this (ie hygiene and cleanliness), to ensure
that everyone agreed on what would be acceptable and what wouldn’t. It is also important to
remember that as a member of the group, I had the right to agree or disagree. Because a unanimous
decision was required, I could be confident that I would be happy with the outcome.
1 Monitoring the Agreements:

Students were concerned that it was easy to agree, and still not make any real changes. They wanted
to know what would happen if someone did not stick to our agreements. As I did not see my role as
being an “enforcer”, I encouraged them to come up with a solution that we could all agree to. It was
at this point that they realised we were all responsible for how this class would operate.
We decided to remind each other of our obligations, and that it would be appropriate for me to take
whatever action I thought was necessary to help everyone to keep to the agreements. Surprisingly, the
students who were most likely to break the agreements were the ones who were most insistent that I
should do this. They genuinely wanted to succeed and recognised that they might need some help
with their own self discipline.
During the following weeks students politely, but firmly, reminded those who needed help, of their
commitment to making the agreements work. From this point onwards, the entire atmosphere of the
class changed. Students began to work together co-operatively and to respect each other. The class
changed from separate, distinct groups, to one large group with common goals and expectations.
Students arrived on time. The work rate increased and I was able to concentrate fully on facilitating
learning. We finished the syllabus in time to allow several weeks for revision before the exams.
The Results:

The previous academic record of many of these students indicated that approximately 50% would not
pass the exam and 25% of them should not have been in the class at all. Despite this, at the end of the
year, 90% passed the final bursary exam and the class average was well above the national. In
addition, for 85% of students, this subject produced their highest bursary exam result.
For me personally, the situation changed from being stressful and frustrating, to a relaxing and
enjoyable experience where I could concentrate fully on my goals of facilitating learning and building
self esteem. Students supported and helped each other and I became the last person they sought
assistance from rather than the first. As a result, my workload actually went down.

This simple process changed the entire nature of the class and was the single most important step
towards creating a co-operative learning environment. I now use this process with all of my classes,
usually within the first two weeks of the year, depending on how quickly I can establish rapport with
the students.
Working With Juniors

When working with Junior students I use a version of the Japanese “Hexagon Kaizen Think Kit” (G
Dryden/J Vos “The Learning Revolution). This involves the following steps:
1. Preframing the whole process using sports teams and how they need rules and regulations and
that everyone needs to agree to them and know what they are. They also have common goals and
the whole team is aiming toward the same thing.
2. A Goal Setting process to get individuals to focus on what they want from the class. I also
explain my personal goals for the class.
3. Focus on creating a supportive environment so that we can all reach our goals. This is
achieved through a general discussion about the sort of class we want and things that would help
to create this.
4. Generating Agreements: Each individual writes down some of the agreements they would like,
then they get together with 2-3 mates and create a list. They then write each agreement on a
separate coloured hexagon and stick it on the board. I do several as well as I am part of the
group)
1. Selecting the Agreements: Similar hexagons are grouped together and explanations gathered
where required. A unanimous vote is required for each agreement to be accepted. If someone
does not agree then there is discussion and the issue is adjusted until everyone agrees. This is
very important as everyone is expected to stick to these agreements, therefore everyone,
including the teacher, must agree to each one. The accepted agreements are then put onto a
poster and each student writes them into their book.
2. Methods of enforcing the Agreements are discussed and agreed upon.
3. A Review of progress and possible adjustments is done after a week.
I have found that students are excellent at determining what is important in creating a safe, enjoyable
environment and the voting process works quickly and easily. A student will occasionally put a
suggestion on the board that is obviously impossible to achieve. When this happens it is noticeable
that during the voting process, no-one votes for these suggestions (including the authors).
Regardless of the age of students, they always take the process seriously and the following week is
really the time when my sincerity to stick to the agreements is ‘tested’. Occasionally I will need to
remind students of the agreements and what they mean, but generally students will enforce the
agreements themselves and I am free to concentrate on the teaching/learning process.
Summary

The process of establishing a groups’ common goal, or purpose, then creating a supportive
environment through establishing group agreements, creates a joint sense of ownership and
responsibility. Students take this process seriously. The opportunity to really have an input into how
a class will function changes every students role from a passive observer, who does not need to be
responsible for anything, to an active participant in the functioning and success of the group.

© Julie McCracken

Uncategorized