Asian Journal of Research in Social Sciences and Humanities
Year : 2011, Volume : 1, Issue : 4
First page : ( 268) Last page : ( 278)
Online ISSN : 2249-7315.

The cooperative learning: A way to establish individual accountability in group work

Chauhan Sangeeta*, Assistant Professor, Dr. Yadav Saroj**, Lecturer

*Department of Education, Sampurnanand Sanskrit Vishvavidyalaya, Varanasi-221002.

**Department of Education, C.S.J.M. University, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Online published on 3 January, 2012.

Abstract

Cooperative learning according to Johnson et. al (1998) is the “instructional use of small groups so that students work together to maximise their own and each other's learning.” Within cooperative situations, students seek outcomes that are beneficial not only to themselves but also to the members of their group. By adopting a cooperative learning approach as a teaching method, teachers encourage students to become actively involved in the learning process and this enhances their motivation. To be motivated to learn, students need ample opportunity to interact with each other as well as steady encouragement and support of their learning efforts. This article, besides giving a birds’ eye view of the concept and methods of cooperative learning, highlights its benefits for the students and the teachers and its specific and unique outcomes for learning, indicating a paradigm shift in teaching learning strategies. It suggests a road-map of how cooperative learning can help in learning to live together as a principal goal of education.

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