"COOPERATIVE LEARNING IS NOT SO MUCH learning to cooperate as it is cooperating to learn" (Wong & Wong, 1998). Most researchers of the past fifty years have come to the consensus that cooperative learning increases student achievement and develops socialization skills.
However, cooperative learning is more than placing students in groups and hoping they will learn together. For cooperative learning to be effective, it must be properly structured -- with students placed into heterogeneous groups -- and supervised. Research confirms that there are at least two key elements that must be present for students to be successful in a cooperative learning environment: 1) positive interdependence among students, and 2) individual and group accountability. While other elements such as social skills and group evaluation will also add to the success of cooperative learning activities, these two key elements are essential for success.
These elements are outlined below, followed by examples of how to structure the three most commonly used cooperative learning activities: Jigsaw, Group Investigation, and Home-Expert-Home groups.

These students are interdependent upon each other to learn. All are working so everyone "gets it."

Each student must believe that he or she is truly reliant upon the other students for his or her learning. But more importantly, the student needs to know that he or she is responsible for the learning success of every other member of the group. Students who show positive interdependence will not only take responsibility for their own learning, but will also encourage the others to learn, and take it upon themselves to ensure that every other member of their group is successful as well.

Students want to know for what they will be held accountable. They also want to know that they and the other students will be held accountable for their work. This structured environment leads to group and individual success. Assign each individual a role and hold him or her accountable for generating a small piece of the total group item, which cannot be completed without input from the group. In addition, let them know that the entire group will be held accountable for the success of every other member. If giving grades, give two: one based on their own learning, and one based on the successful learning of all of the group's members.

The students are reliant upon each other to share information to complete the group's problem.

"Jigsaw" is sometimes used to refer to "Home-Expert-Home" groups (see below). However, in a true jigsaw activity, a group of students is given a problem to solve, with each student given only one piece of the information that is necessary to devise a solution. The students must work with each other to put all of the information together so they can solve the problem - like a jigsaw puzzle of information.

These activities are open-ended problem solving investigations. The group is given a topic or an issue, which the students divide into smaller parts. Each student is accountable for one of these subtopics, into which he or she must conduct research. Working together as a group, the students create an end product that synthesizes the information from each subtopic. They then present their findings on the main topic or their solutions to the issue to the class in a formal presentation, as a group.

Students learn their topics in an expert group and share the information with their home group.

Sometimes referred to as "jigsaw groups," Home-Expert-Home groups are a great way to cover several subtopics at once. The class is divided into groups of four, (home groups). Each individual is assigned to become an expert on one of four subtopics. The experts assigned to the same subtopic meet in an expert group, and work together to research or summarize the most important points. The students then go back to their home groups to share what they have learned and to learn the other subtopics from the other experts.

Christie M. Young
Graduate Student
Department of Educational Technology
San Diego State University