Cooperative Learning Comparison Chart Erin E. Peters March 25, 2006
	Johnson & Johnson	Robert E. Slavin	Spencer Kagan
Book	Learning Together and Alone: Cooperative, Competitive, and Individualistic Learning	Cooperative Learning	Cooperative Learning
What’s it all about??	The risks and benefits of all stages of competitive, cooperative, and individual learning are in this book, although most of the book is devoted to cooperative learning. A concept that reappears in each chapter is interdependence.	A balanced presentation of theory behind cooperative learning and practical guides to cooperative learning methods	The heart of Kagan’s approach is STRUCTURES. Structures are content free. Any one structure can be used to deliver an infinite range of content. Content is placed into a structure to create a learning activity.
Definition of Cooperative Learning	Cooperative learning is the instructional use of small groups so that students work together to maximize their own and each other’s learning.	Students work together in teams to master material initially presented by the teacher	Cooperative Learning refers to a set of instructional strategies which include cooperative student-student interaction over subject matter as an integral part of the learning process.
Research Findings	*Each goal structure (cooperation, competition and individual learning) has its place *Students in cooperative learning settings perceive that they can reach their learning goals if and only if the other students in the group reach their learning goals *Joint efforts to achieve mutual goals create caring and committed relationships, which intern causes efforts among group members to continue to achieve	*Tables in Chapter 2 show a meta-analysis of achievement effects of cooperative learning from Slavin and the other researchers *The book also reports on other research studies that look at outcomes other than achievement on cooperative learning: intergroup relations, mainstreaming, self-esteem, proacademic peer norms, locus of control, time on task, liking of class and school, liking of classmates, and altruism	*Given a choice between cooperative and competitive structures, students who had experience with cooperative structures chose those over competitive ones *Many of the other causal connections in cooperative learning are made without references
Intended Audience for Book	Educators who want a very detailed, research-based rationale for conducting each of the three structures: individual, cooperative and competitive	Educators looking at specific learning methods such as STAD, TAI and CIRC	Practicing teachers
Lesson Format	There are many self-evaluations given in the book so that a teacher is aware of the missed opportunities to use the “power of the group”. The assessment chapter gives helpful handouts to help assess skills and knowledge of the students.	Stages in each lesson are listed at the beginning of the section, and then expanded on after the initial discussion. Some example lessons and units are provided in the appendix.	Lesson Designs are activity free. We place activities into a lesson design to create a lesson. Any one lesson can be used to deliver an infinite number of lessons.
Similarities	*LOTS of background information on characteristics of cooperative learning. Gives diverse information teachers need from setting up groups to selecting activities to assessing learning. *See knowledge building as a social as well as cognitive activity *Research-based
Rationale for using: WHY?	Learning can be enhanced if the teacher is aware of the benefits and drawbacks of the lesson outcomes, group dynamics, content, and pedagogy when structured competitively, cooperatively and individualistically.	Academic achievement, gain in positive relationships with peers, acceptance of mainstreamed students, gain in self-esteem, understanding of locus of control in group situations, and increased time-on-task	1. Academic gains, especially for minority and low achieving students 2. Improved race relationships among students in integrated classrooms 3. Improved social and affective development among all students
Concepts in Cooperative Learning	Three ways to structure learning goals: 1. Engage in a win-lose struggle to see who is best in the class 2. Work independently to complete the assignment 3. Work together in small groups, ensuring that all members complete the assignment (p. 3)	Typology included in the book list these types of cooperative learning methods 1. student team learning methods 2. Learning Together 3. Jigsaw 4. Jigsaw II 5. Group investigation 6. Complex instruction 7. Structured dyads 8. Traditional group work (not shown to be effective)	There are 6 simple concepts (not all lessons use all 6) 1. Teams 2. Cooperative Management 3. Will to Cooperate 4. Skill to Cooperate 5. Basic Principles (PIES) 6. Structures
Schools of Cooperative Learning	Johnson and Johnson configure cooperative learning in terms of groups: 1. Formal groups 2. Informal groups 3. Base groups	The typology is designed to indicate the following areas of importance: 1. Group goals 2. Individual accountability 3. Equal opportunities for success 4. Team competition 5. Task specialization 6. Adaptation to individuals	1. Structural Approach 2. Learning Together 3. Curriculum Specific Package
Assignment of groups	1. Formal groups 2. Informal groups 3. Base groups	No explicit techniques were mentioned	Student selected, random, teacher assignment *diagrams of actual seating arrangements are included in some of the structures
Assessment	Making assessment meaningful and manageable: *purpose *focus *setting *stakeholders *stakes	Built into the scoring techniques in the book, but no separate section on assessment is included.	Discussed in the specific cooperative learning structures, but mostly as checking for understanding. No specific guidelines given.
Helpful aspects of book	Includes a history of cooperative learning to add to rationale	Teacher testimonials help to see how the proposed structures play out in the class	Ready to Xerox sheets in the book can be incorporated immediately into classes
Drawbacks of book	Teachers must develop the actual lessons from the rationale provided in the book	This book is not extremely teacher-friendly in that a great deal of reading, digesting and creating is involved in creating these types of activities	The elaborate activity structures in the books can sometimes overtake the understanding of the content