A Guide to Cooperative Learning with Computers

by Neil MacQueen, Sunday School Software Ministries, Copyright 1999, 2007

NOTE: Our Teaching Tips for individual programs (which you receive when you get
the software from us) describe the many ways you can lesson plan with the specific
program you have purchased from individual programs. Cooperative learning
strategies require a skilled and prepared teacher ~and a knowledge of the software to
be used. If you'd like to discuss teaching concepts and lesson strategies, email Neil
MacQueen.
UPDATE: This article originally included references to numerous programs which are now out of print. I
have removed those references and shortened the article down to its essential ideas. <>< Neil, November
2009
Why & What
is
Cooperative
Learning at
the
Computer
Cooperative
learning strategies
help children work
together, sharing
one keyboard, one
mouse, and one
screen.
Cooperative
learning strategies
also direct and
integrate the use
of two or more
different programs
in a lesson.
Many of these
other strategies
can be found in
the Teaching
Tips we distribute
with our software.
Researchers at
John Hopkins, the
University of
California, and the
Other Articles:
Getting Started
Selecting Software
University of Minnesota have been studying how learning is enhanced through cooperative behavior.
They have been able to quantify what many of us have known experientially for years:
...when students work together they experience better acquisition,
retention and integration of content. Cooperative learning also promotes
positive peer to peer relationships, student self-esteem and the desire to
learn.
These benefits are exactly what we're after sharing, valuing, respecting, and heartfelt learning. If you
want these things to happen in your computer lab, then cooperative learning is for you. It is an added
bonus that this approach dovetails so nicely with rotating students between different pieces of software!
What is "Cooperative Learning?"
Cooperative learning is learning in small groups where each student is actively engaged in a three-
step process: research, discussion, and group decision making.
Cooperative learning is the process of discovery through sharing. Cooperative learning creates an
objective that requires the participation of each student in the process. This approach to learning
understands that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Each member of the group may have an
assignment, something to bring or contribute to the rest of the group. Each member gets their turn to
add to the larger understanding. Leaders and followers will naturally emerge but the assignment is
structured in such a way that all must contribute.
Cooperative learning is goal-oriented. Through research and the sharing of information and ideas,
students construct a group understanding or larger picture which leads them toward new meanings and
insights. The group may be working toward creating a statement or a report, a solution or a completed
project that expresses what the group has learned.
Cooperative learning is not... four kids in front of a computer with one kid dominating the mouse,
keyboard, or discussion. Cooperative learning isn't one team competing against another team and letting
the brightest kids come up with all the answers. Cooperative means "cooperate."
Cooperative learning is more than telling the class to split into three groups to "answer these
questions." It is a way of learning that the teacher both directs and models through their words and
interactions with their students.
Cooperative learning is an intentional lesson planning strategy that fosters discussion and
facilitates contributions from all participants. In cooperative learning, the computer becomes a means
to an end, --a tool to promote the sharing of ideas and peer to peer relationships. Cooperative learning
helps focus attention on software content and not just its whiz bang features. Cooperative learning
embodies biblical values of sharing, listening, expressing your faith to others, and learning from each
other.

Cooperative learning strategies have not always been used in traditional Sunday School. The biggest
hurdles have been lack of preparation time and
the limited class time we have for our lessons
(typically once a week for 55 minutes --as
opposed to six hours a day, five days a week in
public education).
To be successful with your cooperative
computer lab strategy, you will need to do
two things:

1) Carefully and intentionally craft your lesson
plans. This means taking time to know your
software.

2) Schedule teachers in blocks of weeks rather
than intermittently, and allow them to use the
same lesson plan with more than one class in
order to allow them to experiment and improve
a single lesson plan strategy week after week.
This will help them be better prepared the next
time.
Cooperative learning is a LEARNED
habit. So it is a great help to schedule students
in for several weeks in a row. If they are only in
the lab once a month, good habits will take
longer to develop and students will have a
tendency to want to "play everything" in their
one visit. The computer helps us overcome
another traditional hurdle, irregular
attendance. Advertising the computer lab schedule can be quite an attendance inducement.
Why Computers and Cooperative Learning Are a Great Match
When properly used, the computer can be a wonderful tool to facilitate discussion. Kids frequently find it
difficult to open up and share with their peers, many of whom they may only see once a week in church.
With a cooperative learning strategy, the computer helps them get around the problem. The reason is
this: kids want to succeed with these tools and this motivates them to overcome their natural shyness
about sharing or working together.
Example: Give out a piece of paper and markers to a group of fourth graders, ask them to each write a
short psalm, illustrate it, and share it, and you will most likely be met with a fair amount of passive
opposition, apathetic effort, and "I don't want to share mine." But have them perform that same task
together in pairs using Kid Pix (a creative writing and paint program) and suddenly they are working
together, trading off doing the typing and drawing, and proudly displaying their presentations to the rest of
the class. Their desire to use the computer gives the teacher the leverage to help students move beyond
their boundaries and comfort zones. I'll share more examples in a moment.
There are two other reasons why computers and cooperative learning work well together.
First, the use of computer software is often task oriented, i.e., moving about in search of information or
using programs in combination with each other. This fits well with the cooperative teaching methodology
described in this guide.
Second, because students approach this technology with varying skill levels and each program has a
unique set of navigational controls, students often need each other's help. Third, computers can generate
a lot of excitement and some anxiety among the kids.
Cooperative learning strategies can provide a comfortable structure and set of calming set of
expectations. Remember, there are other lesson strategies and ideas described in our Teaching Tips.
Cooperative strategies such as the ones listed below can be used in combination with many of those
ideas. What works well with one age group, teacher or piece of software, may not work as well with
another.

Copyright 1999, 2009 Neil MacQueen.