Cooperative learning /El ABC del A.Cooperativo

http://www.gottoteach.com/2014/07/expert-groups-cooperative-learning.html

How It Works:

1. Group your students into 4 equal "Expert Groups" (e.g. Group A, Group B, etc.).  These groups should be strategically organized in heterogenous groups in regards to student ability.  Each of these groups will have cover a unique topic or have a unique task to accomplish.  For example, you could divide a reading selection from a social studies or science textbook into 4 equal parts.  The students in these groups are responsible for becoming "Experts" in their topic of study.
2. You will also need to think about how you are going to organize the "Numbered Groups" (e.g. Group 1, Group 2, etc.).  Similar to the "Expert Groups," these groups should also be varied heterogeneously.  
3. After the "Experts" have gathered to learn their assigned topics in-depth, they can then be dispersed into numbered groups, which will contain one "Expert" from each group. During this time, "Experts" will present to the other members of the group.

• The number of "Expert Groups" and "Numbered Groups" are totally flexible depending on the topics you are studying and the number of students in your class.  I have used the strategy successfully with a class of 36 students (4 Expert Groups and 9 Numbered Groups).

Why I Love This:

1. Less Overwhelming- The students can focus their learning on one aspect of a topic, which allows for greater understanding of a concept. 
2. Student Accountability- The students understand that they will be responsible for presenting this information to another group of students.
3. Responsive to Student Learning- As you observe these groups in action, you will quickly see who is and is not "getting it." If you see students struggling to present the information in their "Numbered Groups," then you can always have the "Expert Groups" reconvene.

How have you used "Expert Groups" in your classroom?  I would love to hear about it!

http://www.gottoteach.com/2014/08/the-fish-bowl-cooperative-learning.html

How It Works:

1. Divide your class in half.  One half will form the center circle, facing inward. The other half of the class will form the outer circle, facing inward as well.
2. The students in the inner circle will discuss a predetermined topic.
3. The outside circle will be listening to the discussion,  making note of interesting, new, or contradictory information.  They are not allowed to say a word at this point.
4. The inner and outer circles can then switch positions and repeat the steps above.

Why I Love It:

1. Eases Discussion Management: Since only half the class is discussing at a time, this makes it much easier to manage than a whole-class discussion.  
2. Promotes Active Listening: Half the students have the explicitly given job of listening to the inner circle.  They understand that their turn to talk will come, which is more likely to free their attention from trying to get a turn to share, and focus it on attentive listening.  
3. Great for Debate: I love this arrangement for classroom debates.  The physical position of students makes it very clear when it's time to listen and when it's time to talk.  You can switch through the roles a number of times during debate, and students have more incentive to listen when they are in the outer circle so that they can appropriately counter the points made from the inner circle.
4. Peer Evaluation and Modeling: This model presents a valuable opportunity for students to evaluate their peers.  Successful student presenters also serve as wonderful models to other students who are not as skilled at class discussions.

Alright! 5 strategies down!  I hope you find them useful.  I would also love to hear about ones you love, that I didn't include.

How It Works:

1. Divide your class in half.  One half will create an inner circle; the other half will make up the outer circle.
2. Students in the outer circle can ask a question of the students in the inner circle.  These questions can be self-selected by the students or you can make your own question(s).
3. After a set period of time, the teacher signals and the inner circle rotates and pairs-up with a new student.
4. Once the group has completed a full rotation, the inside circle and the outside circle trade positions and repeat the steps above.

Why I Love This:

1. Listening and Speaking Practice: This activity allows students to practice active speaking and listening skills.
2. Active Engagement: Students are constantly moving and/or switching roles.  This variety keeps students engaged and on task.
3. Safe/Comfortable: Talking one-on-one with each other is far less intimidating than talking to a small group or to the whole class.  This is a great activity to help build confidence in students who are reserved or afraid to speak in front of others (ELLs).
4. Ownership:  One option for this activity is to have students create their own questions (which they LOVE doing).  They really take this task seriously and become quite invested in the process.

Thanks for checking out this post on using "Four Corners" as a cooperative learning activity in the classroom.  If you would like to view the other posts in this series of Cooperative Learning Strategies, you can find them here: "Expert Groups," "Q&A Match-Up," and "Circle Chats."

How It Works:

1. Choose four aspects of a topic that your class is currently focusing on.
2. Assign each of these aspects to a corner (or an area) of your room.
3. Present the topic and the four related aspects to the whole group and give the students some "think time."
4. Students can then choose a corner to discuss the topic.
5. Representatives from each corner can share what their respective groups discussed.

Why I Love This:

1. Student Choice:  Students LOVE when they are given an opportunity to choose.  They feel more empowered and respected, and thus take far more ownership over the outcome of the assignment.
2. Various Perspectives: The students are exposed to many different view-points in their corner, which can lead to great discussion.
3. Easily Prepared: This activity requires very little preparation on the teacher's part.  The teacher simply needs to think of four (+/-) areas that he/she would like the students to discuss and then send them on their way.
4. Easy Implementation: This activity can take as little as five minutes and requires no advanced set-up (e.g. chairs set up, group formations, etc.), so teachers can use it instantaneously and then quickly return to the lesson.

If you're feeling like a lesson needs a quick boost of engagement, keep this strategy in mind!