Cooperative Learning and Social Emotional Learning - Research Paper Example

Using New Technologies to Support Unique Resources, Collaborative Services, and Cooperative Learning Tam, M. (2000). Constructivism, instructional design, and technology: Implications for transforming distance learning. Educational Technology & Society, 3(2), 50-60. Practically, all the studies carried out on pupils’ success in education, arguments to a conclusion based on positive relations and communication among pupils and between pupils and teachers. Astin’s (1993) longitudinal research on the impact of college on students is among one of the best comprehensive studies carried out in regard to new technologies affecting the cooperation of learning and collaborative services. By using models from 159 institutions, Astin examined 22 results affected by 88 different environmental factors in determining the influences on students personal development, educational achievement, and satisfaction with school. He discovered that two aspects in particular the student and student communication and interaction, and also the student and faculty communication and interaction, conveyed the largest influences and subsequently affected the largest majority of typical education results. His work endorsed earlier verdicts from Tinto’s (1989) imperative study on student retention that common and remunerating informal acquaintance with faculty associates is the sole sturdiest predictor of whether a student willingly withdraws from a school. Other analyses also encourage these results. Pascarella and Terenzini (1991) established that peer support is a significant aspect in student attentiveness in school. In the prologue to the Harvard Assessment Seminars: Second Report, Light (1990; 1992) concludes that all the research findings illustrate and point to one main idea which is that the students that get the most of school the happiest and who grow more academically organize their time well including interpersonal activities with fellow students or with faculty members and build substantive academic work. Therefore, the value of amplified communication amidst students and amid students and faculty members ought to be evident. It is evident that technology if used wisely, can magnify the chances for eloquent discussion. Strategies of Accommodating Mixed Ability Classes Slavin, R. E., Stevens, R. J., & Madden, N. A. (1988). Accommodating Student Diversity in Reading and Writing Instruction A Cooperative Learning Approach. Remedial and Special Education, 9(1), 60-66. Each student has his/her own learning bravura, individual learning and development speed or linguistic background knowledge. Therefore, the majority of student’s classes involve students with different learning capabilities. In this class settings of institutions such as state funded schools, beginners’ classes are directed towards students who have no previous knowledge of the subject being taught, i.e. students who are real novices having nearly no operational and etymological knowledge, they may not identify the Roman alphabet or distinguish among different subjects and languages. Nonetheless, a pronounced number of students amid these apparent novices can be categorized as false novices or even as students with sizable knowledge of the subject being taught. This is may be the case as they may have previously been exposed to the subject in question for various explanations; first, they may have monitored the subject courses at a private school or institution near their locality. This condition is likely to build a tricky dilemma for the schoolteacher to handle. The teacher has to either focus on the advanced learners while ignoring the rest in the hope that they will catch up with the rest, or decide address the unable students at the risk of presenting a boring lesson the advanced ones. The teaching quality is pondered to be dire to success for learners being exposed to insignificant out-of school atmospheres (Shankweiler and Fowler, 2004). Therefore, schoolteachers are required to use instructional designs which support active learning to enable them cope with the ‘mixed ability classes’ situation efficiently thereby, maximizing academic performance for all the students (Epstein, 1985). On the other hand, the use of straightforward teaching designs may aggravate the complications in ‘mixed ability classes’ (Koole, 2003, ). Students without any prior knowledge of the subject being taught are greatly disheartened in getting involved in the lesson. Teaching Strategies for Assorted Learners Ausburn, L. J., & Brown, D. (2006). Learning strategy patterns and instructional preferences of career and technical education students. Learning, 43(4). That fact that “low-income and minority children mostly perform badly on tests” is well acknowledged. However, the fact that they only do so due to the fact that we systematically anticipate less from them is not well known. Most people assume that the poor achievement of minority and poor children is linked up in the children and/or their families. "Their parents do not care." "They have no place to study." "Their culture does not value education." "The children do not try." These excuses and others frequently offered up to justify the success gap that divides the minority and poor learners from other young students. The real fact is that teachers know how to teach this poor and minority children whether they are different due to their race, ethnicity, or language. Some schoolteachers and some schools do it on a daily basis with exceptional results. Considering a nation such as the United States of America, the most distinct group is the youngest children who make this nation different as they age. Approximately 10 million youthful people ages between 5 year and 17 years of age normally are conversant with a language other than the well-known English language in their households and approximately 2.8 million of the people in this group have a difficulty when it comes to speaking English. For a Childrens Class, it is estimated that approximately 500,000 are being brought up in families that do not speak English at their homes, and that about 125,000 of them will require special attention in kindergarten to enable them in learning to speak and read English. Role of Supportive School Settings in Promotion of Academic Success Hill, N. E., & Taylor, L. C. (2004). Parental school involvement and childrens academic achievement pragmatics and issues. Current directions in psychological science, 13(4), 161-164. A considerable body of research displays that; a school’s societal setting has comprehensive influence on the students’ education and growth, comprising of the major phases of their emotional, social, and ethical improvement. Many aspects mold the social setting: The principal’s leadership style; the school’s advocated goals; decision-making processes However, perhaps the most essential in regulating the school setting is the excellence of students’ affiliations with other students and also with the staff. As John Dewey (1958) experiential, an efficient school “is achieved according to the level in which personalities form a unit.” When learners find their school setting to be compassionate and caring, the chances of them becoming involved in violence, substance abuse, and other problematic behaviors is greatly minimized. They are most likely to develop and take up positive mindsets regarding themselves and social behaviors and attitudes towards others. Most of the obtainable research demonstrates that supportive schools adopt these positive results by encouraging students’ awareness of “connectedness,” “belongingness, or “community” during the school day. Community, belongingness, and connectedness all denote to students’ awareness of being in an intimate and respectful relationship with their peers and the adults located at the school. The wide variety of outcomes of developing a “community in school” has been acknowledged by some in-depth qualitative researches, by large-scale survey, and by rigorous program evaluations. Most of these studies have been newly compiled, prearranged, and summarized. Findings from these studies are starting to inspire new policy and practice proposals for the overall enhancement of schooling and for refining practice in the subjects of the prevention of school-based drug abuse, character education, and emotional and social Tips and tools to promote physical education and physical activity McKenzie, T. L., Marshall, S. J., Sallis, J. F., & Conway, T. L. (2000). Leisure-time physical activity in school environments: an observational study using SOPLAY. Preventive medicine, 30(1), 70-77. It has been noted that the more there exists an interaction between the student and the teacher the greater the likelihood of the teacher becoming an agent for positive change. Physical activities of a student can be motivated if the teachers act as good role models as the student will tend to emulate their teachers. Through the community newsletters, school newspapers as well as announcements, the student’s interest is stimulated as the students are able to observe the accomplishments and interest of the staff in maintaining good physical fitness. Some of the physical activities that can assist the teachers with the aid of developing a physically active lifestyle are Grade level teams, staff student competitions, teacher lead student walking programs, mileage walking club and also team teacher miles. These activities highly assist the teachers in interacting with the students and serving as role models for both the students as well as other staff members. When teachers more active in physical activities, they are able to recognize their accomplishments and also the positive effects of a physically active lifestyle. A quality after and before school program should include the physical activities that are well structured whereby students are able to learn some values such as cooperation as well as teamwork and end up gaining the fruits of being physically active. As it is said that work without play makes John a dull boy, the same theory also fits in the learning perspective. When a student takes exercise after a long learning day, he is able to relax his mind from class work. What Research Say about Early Childhood Education. Bredekamp, S., Knuth, R. A., Kunesh, L. G., & Shulman, D. D. (1992). What does research say about early childhood education. North Central Regional Educational Laboratory: www. ncrel. org/sdrs/areas/stw_esys/5erly_ch. htm. Understanding as well as applying research findings from early education to classroom practice is a significant step in achieving effective child outcomes. Researchers, Program administrators and educators can come up with clear examples of educational research findings that inform the classroom practices. Basic hypothetical principles of development of the child and learning form the basis for quality early childhood programs. It is a complex task to develop curriculum or decide whether a particular curriculum is suitable for a particular group of children thus the task requires high consideration regarding various variable. In order to facilitate the task of the Curriculum Guidelines use, NAEYC and NAECS/SDE have posted each of the strategies inform of a question. They suggest that a curriculum committee, consisting six to eight teachers evaluated a recommended curriculum through subjecting it to these questions. Since steadiness of philosophy as well as practice through the early childhood continuum within communities it is also of major importance, NCREL commends that curriculum committees comprise of a head start, administrators, parents, community members, child care and school providers on the curriculum committee. An accepted curriculum would be one for which each group of early childhood lay persons as well as could settle on in the affirmative to all the following questions. The first national objective concentrates on the early childhood years: It was believed that by the year 2000, each and every child in America would start school set to learn. It is also believed that from the time of birth, every child is ready to learn. However what an individual, an educator or the society at large decide to do or not to do can greatly influence a child’s what we do or do not do as individuals, educators, and collectively as a society can impede a childs success in school.. Response to Intervention and Gifted and Talented Education Smith, T. E. (2011). Teaching Students With Special Needs In Inclusive Settings Author: Tom EC Smith, Edward A. Polloway, James. All students are entitled to receive basic classroom education utilizing scientifically based curriculum and techniques to teach critical features of a subject, for example reading, math and also written expression. It is estimated that about 80-90 percent of students will have an adequate response to the given instruction by showing subject expertise with Effective Tier 1 instruction. Those Students who are able to score at the higher level of Tier 1 should be able to get instruction that will keep them challenged. Like Response to Intervention, Gifted Education offers a tiered programming model. The intensity levels in programming permit for the diversity of individual requirements of students Who are both talented and gifted, Response to Intervention offers support systems for learners with exceptional potential or ability. Students who are gifted need Special requirements due to their strengths as well as above-grade instructional potential or level The basis of gifted student’s education, like any other student, is in the regular Classroom. Allan, S. D. (1991). Ability grouping research reviews: What do they say about grouping and the gifted. Educational Leadership, 48(6), 60-65. A research carried out showed that approximately 60 percent of the students who are gifted have their requirements met that setting provided there is consistent differentiation. Another estimation of about 30 to 35 percent of the students who are gifted will require some additional services. Examples of such services include pull-together which sometimes is termed as pull-out activities, special projects as well as academic competitions. Even when the classroom services are added and there is differentiation, about 5 to 10 percent of students will still require some opportunity forms outside the usual classroom. Such opportunities include concurrent enrollment, grade skipping, subject acceleration etc. Response to intervention sets in gifted education into the regular focus of quality instruction as it has high expectation of differentiation. Facilitating Effective Student Learning through Teacher Research and Innovation Baylor, A. L., & Ritchie, D. (2002). What factors facilitate teacher skill, teacher morale, and perceived student learning in technology-using classrooms?.Computers & Education, 39(4), 395-414. This research aims at introducing various aspects innovation in the process of learning/teaching as well as assisting teachers in their research work in various countries. Particularly the main reason for the research was to come up with ways of encouraging innovation of both students and teachers in various educational systems. Secondly, it was to offer information on pedagogical innovations in various fields of subjects, that is, provide descriptions of pedagogical innovations, and evaluate them as well as their theoretical background. Thirdly, research into the various factors on the teacher innovation or rather the views of the teachers on innovation, the principal role and also the climate of the school etc. Another reason for this research is to analyze the competences and qualifications of the teachers for their innovation as well as their research of their practices. This refers to offering training to teachers in these areas in both pre-and in-service programs and also the scope of engagement of the teacher in their innovation and research. Learning and didactic strategies innovation is one of the main demands in the teacher training at all education levels. An innovation strategy by the European commission insisted on the necessity for collective action to protect the European way of life which combines the country’s economic prosperity together with solidarity. It was concluded that innovation in a more broad sense is among the major answers to the citizens concerning their materials about the future. This commission outlines education as a precondition for generating a real European innovation space. Since it is a main policy it should be at a point of promoting creativity as well as talent from an early age. Using social emotional skills in cooperative groups to improve student performance. Greenberg, M. T., Weissberg, R. P., OBrien, M. U., Zins, J. E., Fredericks, L., Resnik, H., & Elias, M. J. (2003). Enhancing school-based prevention and youth development through coordinated social, emotional, and academic learning. American psychologist, 58(6-7), 466. Teachers differ according to how they approach the seating arrangements of their students since it has an impact on how the teacher may choose to conduct their lessons. Depending on the type of lesson, forming small groups, individual or pairing arrangements may be regarded more important. For example, science labs mostly benefit from small groups or pairs when they are conducting inquiry activities since students are provided with opportunities to utilize each other in solving problems. If students miss regularly in their specified groups, they might consume much time trying to adjust to the rest of group members. The information about what their group is expected to do may reach them late and this does not give them time to develop the required skills to tackle the task in their groups in both science and social-economic skills. Ensuring there is a regular class practice as well as feedback pointing out these group expectations and skills may help in a more experience of the group for the teacher and student collectively. This helps in raising the focus on the issue at hand and this results in more productive group. Some learners find it difficult to cooperate working as a group because of the limited social-emotional skills. Some students often perceive a negative experience when put in groups where most of the members do not contribute equally. If all students participate in their groups then they are able to submit any of the given assignments and meet their teacher’s expectations successfully. This study is therefore aimed at determining if focusing on social-emotional skills when a group cooperates is of importance to the performance of the student. Expectations and Student Outcomes Cotton, K. (1989). Expectations and student outcomes. Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory. ‘Teacher expectations’ refer to corollaries that schoolteachers make concerning the future academic accomplishment of learners. School-wide prospects refer to the philosophies believed in by the entire school staff concerning the learning ability of the scholar body. As initially portrayed by merton (1948), a self-fulfilling prediction takes place when a false description of a condition evokes a new conduct, which makes the initially false conception turn up true. Therefore, the Pygmalion report is perceived as an adequate and self-fulfilling prophecy consequence, due to the fact that while the impending academic flourishing of target learners was a type of "false information” portrayed to schoolteachers, believing the intelligence apparently led schoolteachers to act in such a manner as to make the false concept a reality. Ultimately, sustaining anticipation effects are thought to happen when schoolteachers respond on the based on their existing anticipations for learners instead of changes in learner performance triggered by other sources apart from the teacher. As brophy (1984) expresses the distinction: Self-fulfilling forecasts are the most intense form of schoolteacher expectation results Because they include changes in learner behavior. Sustaining expectations point to circumstances in which instructors fail to see student implied and hence do not react in a way to promote some students to achieve their potential. In brief, self-fulfilling expectations bear about change in learner performance, although sustaining look forward to every study regained for this review which sought to recognize the critical elements in effective institutions included high expectations for learner learning among the necessary variables identified. The occurrence of high anticipations is cited near or at the top of each researchers list of essential elements, along with such relevant factors as strong executive leadership, a safe and tranquil environment, school-wide focus on basic skill achievement above all different goals, and constant monitoring of learner progress. Read More