By: Dr. Armãndo R. Tolliver | SCHOLAR | June 15, 2012The assumption about how students learn or how they should be instructed is reflected in the organizational structure of schools (Johnson, Johnson & Holubec, 1994). Cooperative team-based organizational structures positively influence cooperation among students rather than competitive individualistic organizational structures (Johnson, Johnson & Holubec, 1994). Embedded within team-based organizational structures is effective teamwork the hub around which improving the quality of instruction revolves (Johnson, Johnson, & Holubec, 1994). The task of assuring cooperative learning is being implemented effectively in classrooms is made easier when organizational structure of the school and the classroom are congruent (Johnson, Johnson & Holubec, 1994). This entails “the use of cooperative learning in the classroom, faculty collegial support groups in the school, a school-based decision-making structure, and faculty meetings predominated by cooperative procedures” (Johnson, Johnson & Holubec, 1994, par.1).
The
school leader is the tool in schools that draws together the discrete elements
of instructional effectiveness into whole-school action (Zepeda, 2007).
Research has shown schools that link their instruction and classroom
management with professional development, direct assistance to teachers,
curriculum development, group development, and action research under a common
purpose achieve their objectives (Zepeda, 2007). This adhesive pulls
together organizational goals and teacher needs and provides for improved
learning. To be truly valuable, an approach must be flexible, adaptable
to a particular environment and shaped by the people who apply it (Zepeda,
2007).
In
order to assist school personnel in understanding and applying cooperative
learning practices, the implementation of a Lesson Study protocol can be used
to transition instructional practices across the board. At its core,
Lesson Study is “a means of bringing teachers together to carry out the process
of planning a lesson, implementing and observing it, and then examining it
during a debriefing session” (Groth, 2011, p. 446). This model would
serve as another opportunity for staff members to receive support from
colleagues and to build capacity for the purpose of adding to instructional
practices. Many other professional models are focused on the individual
teacher or individual strategies for teaching. While some collaboration
is present in mentoring or peer coaching, the focus is still on the teacher and
teaching from an individualized perspective. Lesson Study is
collaborative throughout the entire process and the emphasis is on
understanding how students learn (Groth, 2011). The entire team plans the
lessons so that there is collective ownership of the process (Groth, 2011).
Learning together fosters communities of practice, safe, respectful learning
environments. Lesson study promotes the exact qualities necessary for
successful, collaborative and engaging lessons (Lewis Perry, Hurd, &
O’Connell, 2006). The collaboration involved with Lesson Study provides
an opening of the classroom that reduces isolation and creates a cycle for
continual improvement in both content knowledge and pedagogy. This
process is highly similar to action research, an iterative process that can
lead teachers to a better understanding of what happens and why (Zepeda, 2007).
Teachers who
reflect effectively gain new perspectives on the dilemmas and contradictions
inherent in classroom practices, improve judgment, and increase their capacity
to take purposeful action based on the knowledge they discover (Blasé &
Blasé, 2003; Glickman, Gordon, & Ross- Gordon, 2010; Groth, 2011).
All in all, this approach offers a framework for unifying professional development
and supervisory initiatives (Blasé & Blasé, 2003). Throughout the dialogue
with peers, the analysis of data, and the modification or creation of
strategies, the teacher as action researcher needs the latitude to recast
practices in light of new discoveries.
Maryland Teacher Professional Development Planning Guide (2008) suggested that
the first step a school leader should take to assure that cooperative learning
is being implemented effectively in classrooms is to establish a culture of
improvement. One way to facilitate this would entail establishing
baseline data using student and teacher data during informal observations from
a classroom work session walkthrough with the area of focus on facilitation and
instruction. Along with an observation team, the school leader must
assess the evidence of current instructional strategies facilitated by each
faculty member, student levels of engagement, and student use of language of
the standards. This baseline data will rate the school on the academic
environment, a school-specific indicator, which indicates where teachers may or
may not need improvement.
Informal classroom visits, although brief, are important to the program of
instructional supervision (Zepeda, 2007). Teachers need feedback more than once
or twice a year; informal classroom observations provide valuable opportunities
for more frequent interaction between the supervisor and the teacher. By taking
time to observe the work teachers do on a daily basis in their classrooms,
school leaders can exert informed effort and energy to assist teachers beyond
formally scheduled observations. By reviewing the record of informal classroom
observations, school leaders can evaluate the quality of instructional
practices employed the school in order to determine if they are facilitative of
cooperative learning. Then school leaders can determine what follow-up should
be made.
After the informal observation, the observation team can meet to discuss and
analyze the results. From the baseline data, target goals can be
developed for the school to positively move the school towards full
implementation of cooperative learning in classes. The school will meet
the target, miss the target but increase from their baseline, or miss the
target completely. By looking at the school in this way, the staff will
be provided with a more comprehensive report of the school. The planning
and promotion of staff development programs in a school must involve active
participation of those that will be taught (Maryland State Department of
Education, 2008). In promoting a team-based organizational
structure this step involves staff in planning.
Next, the school leader needs to set up planning period meetings at regular
intervals to allow teachers to work together and review student data.
This can be completed with team meetings that occur at least once per
grading period in order for teams to analyze data. By creating more
opportunities for teachers to work together, teachers will be able to face
instructional challenges with the strength of knowing that they have the
support of others, in addition to improving cooperative learning instructional
strategies.
Teachers need to have adequate modeling and practice, feedback, allowances for
differences in implementation (Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock 2001).
Professional development provides opportunities for teachers to examine,
observe, practice, and receive feedback on their use of the cooperative
learning instructional strategy to help all students master content standards.
This is a key component of professional growth and development for
teachers that must center on common teaching standards with professional
development content, coaching, mentoring, and observation protocols all aligned
to those standards. Joyce and Showers (2002) recommend staff development
that includes: developing knowledge; the demonstration or modeling of skill;
the practice of skill and peer coaching. All in all, professional
development opportunities allow teachers to engage in a collegial dialogue that
promotes clarity around the topics of cooperative learning and student
engagement; increases awareness on how to effectively incorporate cooperative
learning within the lesson planning framework as well as delivery systems; and
provides an opportunity to evaluate strategies implemented and determine the
level of effectiveness since the last professional development (Blasé &
Blasé, 2003).
The school leader must allot time and bring in workshops to the
school that train teachers properly in effective cooperative learning models
and methods. Joyce and Showers (2002) suggested that the best model for
staff development involves learning communities that meet regularly for the
purpose of exploring best practices, collaborating, and conducting action
research. If the school leader would bring in groups or districts that
have successfully implemented cooperative learning and allow them share
successes and failures with staff, then greater buy in from the teachers of the
school is likely to occur. The implementation of an effective program
will not occur without proper knowledge base for teachers to refer (Blasé &
Blasé, 2003).
The
school principal must purchase necessary books and supplies that the teachers
can use to help them be successful and knowledge with cooperative
learning. The order and require book studies for each department.
Have each department read a section of the book and share at one of the
professional development meetings –share responsibility and allow the staff to
feel like this is theirs. Teachers will become collectively purposeful as
they gain control over decisions for instructional improvement; therefore,
teacher‘s learning should be related to their experiences, needs, and learning
strengths (Glickman et al, 2010). Additionally, teacher‘s learning should
include: opportunities for collaborative action, reflection, and critical
thinking that should be directed toward teacher empowerment (Glickman et al.,
2010).
In
order to provide professional development opportunities that are meaningful and
pertinent to the teachers needs, sincere feedback must be gathered from
teachers regarding the professional development workshops (Blasé & Blasé,
2003). Additionally, it is important for the school leader to keep a
finger on the pulse of the staff by gathering information about how the
facilitation of the cooperative learning strategy is going inside the
classroom. Again, informal observations could serve as a resourceful data
collection tool. The school leader could access the effectiveness of the
cooperative learning program by monitoring the activities in the classroom,
observing the number of student in on-task behaviors, and discussing with
students what they have learned. After the informal observation, the
school leader should provide feedback to teachers on what is observed as
strengths and what needs growth (Blasé & Blasé, 2003). Part of the
reflective process would be discussions with teachers that allow the teachers give
feedback on how things are going.
The
collaboration concept among teachers must be continual, consistent and
understood (Groth, 2011). Within content areas during departmental lesson
planning experienced teachers should link with novice teachers. Teachers
should also come together as a whole to discuss how grading should be handled,
rather than having a school leader tell them how. Portfolio assessments should
be encouraged as an alternate way of obtaining grades and measuring
progress. Spreadsheets should be utilized to measure and chart growth
that can be illustrated to staff during professional developments. It is
equally important for the school leader to be present in meetings and
professional developments regarding the cooperative learning initiative to
report aggregate data to staff. To continue to assure cooperative
learning is being implemented effectively many professional development
opportunities must be tailored to the school’s focus on cooperative
learning.
Parent and community involvement is proven to support student success (Epstein,
2009). Cooperative learning should not end at school; the school leader
needs to sell this idea to parents and community; invite them in to see the
fruits of cooperative learning. Establish this as a positive to parents
and community and make it a non-negotiable. Share positive data with
them: compare results from formative tests between classrooms utilizing
cooperative learning versus classrooms that are not; compare results from
formative assessments at various intervals, beginning of the year, mid-year and
end of year within the classrooms utilizing cooperative learning. The
school leader must communicate with stakeholders as to the affect overall that
this strategy is producing at home, in other classes, in sports, etc. and
celebrate the successes with all stakeholders (Epstein, 2009).
Suggested Citation
Tolliver, A. R. (2012).
Necessary steps for school leaders to assure cooperative learning is being
implemented effectively in classrooms. [Education Project Online].
Retrieved online at http://www.educationprojectonline.com/2014/08/necessary-steps-that-school-leader.html
References
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