Module 4

While reading these chapters as I was writing my research paper, what stuck out to me the most was the cooperative learning groups. On page 388, Woolfolk describes the five elements of true cooperative learning groups as positive interdependence, promotive interaction, individual accountability, collaborative and social skills, and group processing. Although these groups are interesting on their own, I found them to be even more interesting because of my research topic being about Flipped Classrooms.

A brief summary as to what a flipped classroom is- a flipped classroom is just how it sounds, flipped. The students take on the roles of their teachers and instead of learning during lectures at school, the students take on the responsibility of teaching themselves the lessons at home. I am relating this to our reading because it is important for students to not only participate in group activities but to feel comfortable in them as well, especially if flipped learning is becoming more and more popular.

These particular groups that Woolfolk describes give the students certain roles to take on. A majority of these roles require the students to cooperate while having group time. This form of active learning not only helps the students learn from one another, but it also allows them to step out of their comfort zone- just like flipped learning would. Another similarity that cooperative learning has with flipped learning is the timeliness lesson planning. These two particular learning techniques require the teachers to not only step outside of their box but to devote even more time to broadening their lesson plans. Carefully planning out these activities is important.