IP&T 301 Week 7

1.) I remember in elementary school working in a cooperative group to create a little debate about year-round school vs. having summers off. I also remember creating things in science working with groups, such as building a bridge out of toothpicks and rubber cement to see which would hold the most weight. At the college level, I have worked in cooperative groups in almost every elementary education class I have been in! Right now in my TELL 440 class, we are working in groups to create center activities. Our teacher gave us guidelines about what needs to be in our activities and is available to answer questions, but we are working together to come up with the ideas and create the final product.
2.) I definitely feel that cooperative learning promotes learning because it allows students to share ideas and knowledge with each other. I know that I always learn more when I listen to the ways that other students thought about something. I also understand concepts better when I am given the opportunity to teach them to others.
3.) Reciprocal questioning and instructional conversation both involve the students asking questions and teaching each other. They are both face to face and promote participation of each student. Reciprocal teaching is different because the teacher is not involved in the conversation, it is just student to student. In instructional conversation, the teacher prompts students to ask and answer questions by posing good questions and letting the students discuss.
4.) I think I would use ability grouping for reading groups, so the students could all be reading books at their reading level and having discussions at their level of understanding. I would use mixed-grouping in a lot of social studies activities where students with different backgrounds and thinking strategies can bring a wide range of ideas and perspectives to the discussion. Really, I think I would use a mix of both types of grouping for every subject area. In mixed groups, lower-ability students will feel more challenged and be able to learn more from a student who has a good understanding of the concept. Mixed groups also promote classroom unity and understanding between students of all abilities. In ability groups, higher-ability students can feel more cognitively stimulated by working with students who are at their same ability level, while the lower-ability students may feel more comfortable and willing to participate.