Cooperative Learning

I received Kagan's Cooperative Learning as part of a Cedarville University grad course I took several years ago. The book is divided into four parts - cooperative learning theory, methods, lesson designs and beyond the classroom. Nearly half of the 24 chapters is devoted to cooperative learning methods. This is the section of the book that I have found most beneficial. I regularly use a number of the cooperative learning strategies with my students, and they enjoy them immensely. A couple of my colleagues have borrowed the book from me, and despite the steep price, I highly recommend purchasing it. Cooperative Learning is a big book that will provide you with scores of fun ideas that you can easily implement into your classroom.

Have you ever wanted your students to do a group activity but you didn't know how to get started? Did you want to make sure the groups were compatible, diverse, and productive? Were you worried about how to assess group work and make sure that every group member was participating equally? Then you need this book! Kagan Cooperative Learning is a necessary tool for succcessful group work. This book and its components are so effective that school districts all over the country are adopting it as their main source for cooperative learning. As a teacher in a county that has done just that, I am very grateful to Spencer Kagan. Before this book (and the workshop), I was terrified to let my students do group work. Now, though, I have the most useful tool I have ever owned and my students do group work succesfully and very often. Some of the things you will learn from this book include: how to form groups (randomly, homogeneously, and heterogeneuosly), activities for establishing group rapport, how to assign effective and well-defined roles to each group member, teaching social skills, ensuring equal participation and positive interdependence, and how to assess work. I highly encourage every teacher to get this book. Just keep your eye on it because your colleagues will want it for their own!

This book has drastically changed how I teach in my third grade classroom. All of the cooperative learning activities that Kagan outlines in this book are well researched and are easy to implement. These activities are great for any grade level, and my school has successfully used them with teachers at staff inservices and meetings. Through cooperative learning ideas outlined in this book my students have learned content in a way that builds social skills and self-esteem. All teachers should have this book on their desks at all times!