合作学习或会改变你对工作小组的看法

Cooperative¹ Learning May Change Your Mind About Group Work

Two heads are better than one.

Or so the expression goes. It means that two people working together have a better chance of solving a problem than one person alone. But not everyone likes working with others – especially when that means working in a group.

There can be a number of reasons why people dislike group work. Some may feel nervous or uneasy² in group situations. Others might have had a bad experience with individuals who did not work well as a team.

Another criticism is that teachers or supervisors³ fail to assign roles to group members. This may create a situation where everyone or no one wants to lead.

Whatever the issue, the result is the same: the group does not realize its goal.

Cooperative learning is an educational method that can help to solve this problem.

There are many methods of cooperative learning. Today we will talk about one: giving each person in a small group a specific duty to reach a shared goal. For example, if learners are divided into groups of four people each, their roles might be: leader, writer, checker and speaker.

This structure helps ensure that everyone takes part equally in group work. It also allows each member to play a meaningful part in completing the shared goal.

Retired⁵ educator Michelle Manville has written several books about education and learning standards. Many of her books note that cooperative learning creates a supportive group structure and lessens⁶ the problem of competitiveness⁷.

Studies have also shown that cooperative learning improves learner achievement. This includes one study by American researcher Robert Slavin.

Cooperative learning in non-class settings

The method we are talking about today can be used in a number of educational settings, both structured and informal.

Teachers may use it in a classroom. But the method is also useful in other situations. Companies, for instance, may use it as they train employees in team-building and other exercises.

Organizations for English learners, such as English clubs, can also achieve a lot from this method. Such groups meet in any number of places – at restaurants, coffee houses, in classrooms and even at people's homes. Cooperative learning can be used in all of these situations.

For example, imagine that the head of an English club divides club members into small groups. Each group is told to come up with directions for making a specialty⁸ food. Your group chooses pizza.

Before you begin, the "leader" makes sure everyone understands the activity and their responsibilities. During the activity, that person also makes sure the group stays focused on the work to be done.

The group identifies the materials needed for making the pizza and also talks about how to prepare it. As this happens, the "recorder" writes down the step-by-step directions. At the same time, the "checker" can look up words to make sure the group is choosing the right language. When the work is complete, the "speaker" shares your group's pizza recipe with the other people in the club.

Preparing for an activity

Before dividing learners into groups, it is a good idea for the teacher or club’s supervisor⁴ to first have knowledge about the language skill levels of participants. The goal is to make each group a mixture of higher- and lower-level language learners. Putting too many people with similar skill levels together could make the work too difficult or easy.

Role cards can be a helpful tool in this method of cooperative learning. The reusable paper cards have notes describing the role of each person. Their purpose is to remind learners of each person’s role. The cards can be placed on a table or on desks.

You can download role cards from the VOA Learning English website and print them onto card stock or regular paper.

Before, during and after the activity

Before the cooperative activity, the role of the teacher or activity supervisor is make sure to explain two things to the group: the main task for the activity and how the cooperative roles work. The person in charge may appoint these roles or let the English learners choose them.

Then, during the activity, the supervisor's job is to watch the groups and provide more guidance when needed.

After the activity, the supervisor may wish to provide feedback to groups on their work and their use of cooperation.

Hearing friends or classmates speak about their group's work gives everyone a chance to listen to other learners speaking English. Learners can also gain a lot from seeing how others in their club or class complete language tasks and from hearing different perspectives.

With this cooperative learning method, you could say that four heads are better than just one.

Visit learningenglish.voanews.com for examples of this method in Units 2 and 6 of the video-based training course Let's Teach English.

I'm Bruce Alpert. And I'm Alice Bryant.

Words in This Story

assign – v. to give someone a particular job or duty

standard – n. a level of quality or achievement that is required or considered acceptable⁹ or desirable

informal – adj. having a friendly and relaxed quality

remind – v. to cause someone to remember something

desk –? n. a piece of furniture that is like a table for one person

card stock – n. a paper stock that is thicker than normal writing/printing paper

task – n. a piece of work that has been given to someone

feedback – n. helpful information or criticism that is given to someone to say what can be done to improve something

perspective – n. a way of thinking about and understanding something

focus – v. to cause attention to be directed at something specific

1 cooperative   

adj.有合作意向的，合作的；n.合作社（企业）等

参考例句：

• The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作，所以工作进展顺利。
• We decided to set up a cooperative.我们决定开办一家合作社。

2 uneasy   

adj.心神不安的，担心的，令人不安的

参考例句：

• He feels uneasy today.他今天心里感到不安。
• She had an uneasy feeling that they were still following her.她有一种他们仍在跟踪她的不安感觉。

3 supervisors   

n.监督者，管理者( supervisor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I think the best technical people make the best supervisors. 我认为最好的技术人员可以成为最好的管理人员。 来自辞典例句
• Even the foremen or first-level supervisors have a staffing responsibility. 甚至领班或第一线的监督人员也有任用的责任。 来自辞典例句

4 supervisor   

n.监督人，管理人，检查员，督学，主管，导师

参考例句：

• Between you and me I think that new supervisor is a twit.我们私下说，我认为新来的主管人是一个傻瓜。
• He said I was too flighty to be a good supervisor.他说我太轻浮不能成为一名好的管理员。

5 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

6 lessens   

变少( lessen的第三人称单数 )； 减少（某事物）

参考例句：

• Eating a good diet significantly lessens the risk of heart disease. 良好的饮食习惯能大大减少患心脏病的机率。
• Alcohol lessens resistance to diseases. 含有酒精的饮料会减弱对疾病的抵抗力。

7 competitiveness   

n.竞争能力

参考例句：

• At the same time shifts in international competitiveness were beginning to be felt. 与此同时，国际市场上的竞争能力也出现了变化。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• Their scientific know-how, innovation and technical capability are critical to maintaining the nation's competitiveness and productivity. 它们的科学知识、革新和技术能力对于保持本国的竞争力和生产率来说都是至关重要的。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

8 specialty   

n.(speciality)特性，特质；专业，专长

参考例句：

• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town.贝雕是该城的特产。
• His specialty is English literature.他的专业是英国文学。

9 acceptable   

adj.可接受的，合意的，受欢迎的

参考例句：

• The terms of the contract are acceptable to us.我们认为这个合同的条件可以接受。
• Air pollution in the city had reached four times the acceptable levels.这座城市的空气污染程度曾高达可接受标准的四倍。