Assessment and Cooperative Learning: The Missing Think

Abstract

Cooperative learning facilitates the design of effective group work; but effective group work is more complex than attending to the research on cooperative learning. This chapter illustrates some of the missing thinks in the application of effective group work and how leadership at the school and district levels positively impacts instructional change. Key to effective group work is understanding how different cooperative learning methods might intersect with each other, as well as with other instructional methods outside of cooperative learning. For example, intersecting the Johnsons’ five basic elements as students do an Academic Controversy or intersecting Think Pair Share and Place Mat to complete phase two of Concept Attainment. That intersection of multiple methods allows teachers to combine the effect sizes of those innovations; by combining innovations we impact learning and assessment. The idea of how effectively teachers apply aspects of cooperative learning is also explored through the research on Levels of Use on an innovation that emerged from the work of Gene Hall and Shirley Hord on the Concerns Based Adoption Model (CBAM). Here teachers are reminded that until they and their students are skilled at implementing effective group work, they need to understand that student learning is going to be minimal. Obviously, we must consider the teachers’ and students’ skill level with all instructional innovations before making ‘assessment’ decisions about student learning.