- Preservice Teacher
Education and Cooperative Learning
The IASCE is interested in whether cooperative learning is becoming
accepted as part of "best practice" in education and how teacher education
programs are preparing new teachers to learn how to implement cooperative/collaborative
learning. Celeste Brody, Elizabeth Cohen, Neil Davidson and Mara Sapon-Shevin
are interested in hearing about teacher education programs that are
making significant changes in their practices for training teachers.
We are finding that there are few teacher education programs that have
made have data about the success of their graduates in sustaining use
of cooperative learning once they are working in classrooms. If you
have information about your program, how you train teachers and how
they succeed using CL once in the classroom, contact one of these people
through e-mail (they are listed under board
members).
- Bibliography on
Preservice Teacher Education and Cooperative Learning
There are several bibliographies on the Website. One bibliography
compiles research on the use of cooperative learning in preservice teacher
training programs, particularly in the context of teaching languages.
There are also links to Concordia University's website (http://artsciccwin.concordia.ca/education/cslp/Public.htm#publications)
that has 1995 database on cooperative learning. In 1995 Concordia published
a bibliography in print format that is still for sale at $15--see their
website. This bibliography was published from their huge database on
ProCite called "Current Resources in Cooperative Learning."
- Research from Singapore
The full text of four papers, first presented at the 1999 AERA (American
Educational Research Association) conference, are included to represent
the growing body of research by educators who are doing research on
CL in countries where little previous research on CL has been conducted.
These four papers show sensitivity to the particular cultural and social
variables of Singapore, the site of the studies. They also demonstrate
how important it is for practitioners to replicate classic studies in
order to build the confidence of teachers in understanding whether CL
will be applicable in their teaching situations.
- "A school-based
study of cooperative learning and its effects on social studies achievement,
attitude towards the subject and classroom climate in four social studies
classrooms" by Christine Kim-Eng Lee, Maureen Ng & Rosalind
Phang National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University.Singapore.
This paper reports a year-long school-based study in four Singapore
primary five social studies classrooms which investigates the effects
of cooperative learning on social studies achievement, attitude towards
the subject and classroom climate. Results of the study suggest that
lower ability pupils benefited the most from the use of cooperative
learning in social studies lessons. They did better in their social
studies test scores compared to the control class and just as well as
the high ability pupils on the recall items of the test.
Attitude towards the subject in the experimental classes did not decline
over the year but attitude towards the subject in the control classes
declined significantly over the school year. There were no significant
differences between experimental and control classes in classroom climate.
The results of this study provide evidence to support the use of cooperative
learning in Singapore schools. This research was supported by a grant
from the National Institute of Education (RP 10/93CL - 401009). Correspondence
can be addressed to Dr. Christine Lee, National Institute of Education,
469 Bukit Timah Road, Singapore 259756, clee@nie.edu.sg
- "Teachers'
use of cooperative learning in their classrooms: Case studies of four
elementary school teachers" by Christine Kim-Eng Lee, Joy
Chew, Maureen Ng & Tey Sau Hing National Institute of Education,
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
This paper reports on the experience of four teachers in a Singapore
elementary school who implemented cooperative learning over a one-year
period. The teachers received in-service training on cooperative learning
and worked closely with a university research team as they implemented
cooperative learning for social studies and other subjects. They were
subsequently interviewed and observed. Each teacher's experience is
 
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