Corporative learning strategies

It is important to focus on specific skills, content knowledge and expertise with innovative support system to help students to master the multi-dimensional abilities required them in today’s diverse and complex world. In this regard teachers must adopt a cooperative teaching strategy that caters for all the individual differences and which prepares them to be lifelong learners and productive members of the society.

However, teachers seem to be very reluctant in applying cooperating learning strategies in classrooms, believing it will create chaos in the class and will lose the control of the teacher over the students. Though this is possible disadvantage of cooperative learning strategies teachers are highly recommended to use cooperative learning as the motive of teaching is not only to enhance the academic performance of the students. Teaching should be designed in a way the learners are offered to develop various competencies like critical thinking, establishing positive student- teacher relationship and peer relationship in the classroom.

To avoid the problems face by teachers in implementing cooperative learning strategies, teachers must be well prepared for the lesson. Teachers should not try to use the cooperative learning before having the confidence of the handling the students in any situations. Otherwise it may easily lead to a mismanagement of the whole class. It is crucial to establish ground rules and a positive environment before trying for cooperative strategy. Once the teacher has the full confidence and students are willing to follow the ground rules teacher can adapt to cooperative learning.

Though teacher centered and being autocratic is easy to control the class and produce the result, cooperative learning has various advantages. Firstly, it increases the student- students and student – teacher interactions. Students assist each other in understanding lesson. This may even help students to broaden their perspectives on issues or problems. Interaction with peers and teachers also helps to develop their language competency. This also creates positive relationship with the teacher as they get more chances to deal with the teacher. Secondly, it provides opportunities for higher order thinking as opposed to passive listening. Reinforces listening to others and gives opportunity for immediate feedback and adjustment of thought. Thirdly, it permits opportunities to connect the content to real life. Students are often hesitant to speak up and offer opinions, especially in very large classes. Students can provide real life examples of the content being discussed, thus increasing the relevancy of the learning. Moreover, this way of learning promotes critical thinking skills, self-esteem of the students, social interaction to lead confidence among society and reduction of fear and unwillingness.

To conclude, implementing of cooperative learning strategies is not easy. As the first thing, teacher should build the confidence and students should be ready and willing to accept the change. In addition, teacher must prepare each lesson well to achieve the objectives. The result of successfully implementing cooperative learning will be the raise of motivation level of learners, equal participation and a favorable environment for slow learners. (PGCE 13  - classroom management and organisation)

Making learning meaningful

Relevance is a crucial factor in all kinds of learning. Students learn best when they feel that what they are studying is worth learning because it is meaningful and relevant to their lives. At the same time students must see the usefulness and potential application of this knowledge to their everyday lives. Effective teachers connect and make learning personally meaningful and relevant.

Apart from this, the content of the curriculum should be within the parameters of Islam. Students should also be exposed to local content as well as regional and international content which would be of relevance to them in their further education and career opportunities, thus making them part of the global village.

Using technology and media

Using technology and media is main key competency in the national curriculum framework. This key competency enhances the ability to use a variety of technologies as a tool for learning and communication. As technology is a powerful platform to capture and disseminate information across the world, students need to master the information literacy skills they need in order to become sensitive consumers and creative producers of information. Therefore, young people need opportunities to use and manage information effectively and question the authenticity, accuracy and reliability of information. They also need to be aware of the roles of the media in informing, influencing and entertaining society and also differentiate between reality and the world portrayed by the media.

Students who are confident users of technology employ digital technologies and communication tools successfully to search for, manage, evaluate and use information effectively and safely. They recognise which information is needed at any given time and for which purpose, how and where to locate it, evaluate the reliability and relevance of information and use it productively. Students connect, create, and share information and experiences locally and globally using technology. It enables them to master content and extend their investigations, to become more self directed, and to assume greater control over their own learning. Additionally, students adapt to the changing nature of technologies and media and use technology safely and responsibly.

Fostering reflective practice

Reflective learning is central to understanding the experiential learning process. Reflection can lead to greater self-awareness, which in turn is a first step to positive change. Taking time to reflect can help students identify approaches that have worked well, and in that way reinforce good practice and reflect on why some approaches did not work . Such metacognitive strategies can enable students to transfer learning to other disciplines and domains.

As a result, they gain confidence and become more independent as learners. Independence leads to ownership as students realize that they can pursue their own intellectual needs and discover a world of information at their fingertips. Teachers should model metacognitive and self-explanation strategies on various tasks to help students build an integrated understanding of the process of reflection.

Common Ways of Scaffolding

There are very common ways that teachers scaffold. Many believe that the most two common ways of scaffolding that are seen in classroom teaching is modeling and coaching.

Modeling a task

Explicit teacher modeling provides students with a clear, multi-sensory model of a skill or concept. In effective modeling, first, teacher both describes and models the skill or concept then teacher clearly describes features of the concept or steps in performing skill. After that, teacher breaks concept or skill into learnable parts. Finally, teacher engages students in learning through demonstrating enthusiasm, through maintaining a lively pace, through periodically questioning students, and through checking for student understanding. An example of modeling.An expert designer thinking aloud during the design of a product, thereby pointing out critical aspects and important decisions during design. Afterwards students try to imitate this behaviour.

Providing coaching

Coaching can be defined as a continuous process of providing students with feedback to enhance, maintain or improve their performance. In the coaching process the teacher observes performance, shares knowledge and expertise, and provides encouragement to assist students in reaching continuously higher levels of performance. This method or strategy enables students to develop their thinking and actions in response to differing situations. This approach encourages learning, growth and teamwork. According to research there are three effective ways of coaching: retraining when students learn new responsibilities, guiding when students have the necessary skills and prompting when students know what to do. Example.Students design a product, an expert designer monitors their progress, solves problems together with the students, motivates students, and points them towards different directions.

Effective Scaffolding

Scaffolding is useful within what Vygotsky called the ZPD. When students are ready to proceed onto the next level but can only do so through guidance from an adultand with the presence of enough challenge so that the task is motivating but not overwhelming.

There are many ways teachers are involved the process of scaffolding. Some are done with clear planning but others are done without teacher’s knowledge. Some very effective ways of scaffolding has become part of everyday teaching. Instructional scaffolding is most effective when it contributes to the learning environment. In an effective learning environment, scaffolding is gradually added, then modified, and finally removed according to the needs of the learner. Eventually, instructional scaffolding will fade away. For example. A primary math teacher is introducing the addition of two digit numbers. She first solicits the students’ interest by using a “hook” such as an interesting story or situation. Then she reduces the number of steps for initial success by modeling, verbally talking through the steps as she works and allowing the students to work with her on the sample problems. An overhead projector is a great tool for this activity because the teacher is able to face the class while she works the problems. She can then pick up non-verbal cues from the class as she works. The students' interest is held by asking them to supply two digit numbers for addition, playing "Stump the Teacher". She takes this opportunity for further modeling of the skills and verbally presenting the process as she works through these problems.

 

The students are then allowed to work several problems independently as the teacher watches and provides assistance where needed. The success rate is increased by providing these incremental opportunities for success. Some students may require manipulatives to solve the problems and some may require further “talking through” the procedures. These strategies may be applied individually or in small groups.

More challenging problems can then be added to the lesson. Further explicit modeling and verbalization will be required. Some students will be able to work independently while some will require more assistance and scaffolding. She will begin to fade the scaffolding as soon as she is sure that the students can effectively function alone. 

According to Department of education of America, an effective way to teach complex cognitive processes is through providing scaffolds for students based on their specific needs and adjusting scaffolds to accommodate them in their unique progression toward learning goals

Importance of scaffolding.

Scaffolding is an instructional technique whereby the teacher models the desired learning strategy or task, then gradually shifts responsibility to the students. One should never undermine the role of instructional scaffolding in the learning process. Effective teaching, healthy learning environment and successful leaning all includes instructional scaffolding. Scaffolding is not a single activity or activities that happen in a single day. Scaffolding is a continuous process that is a part of all the “new” learning that happens in a learners’ life.

According to Vygotsky learning is mediated by teachers through scaffolding and tools in their environment.  Instructional scaffolding is a learning process designed to promote a deeper learning. Scaffolding is the support given during the learning process which is tailored to the needs of the student with the intention of helping the student achieve learning goals (Sawyer, 2006) 

Adults play a key role in the child’s learning. Anita woolfolk (2005) believed that cognitive development occurs through the child’s conversation and interactions with more capable members of the culture. This particular role is seen in the society by teachers and hence, teachers instructional scaffolding is vital in any of the learning process of the child.

There are a few buzz words in educational psychology that one has to know in an article focusing on scaffolding. Among the many words, Zone of proximal development (ZPD) is perhaps the most important one. “The zone of proximal development is the distance between what children can do by themselves and the next learning that they can be helped to achieve with competent assistance” (Raymond, 2000, p.176). Instructional scaffolding is required for a learner to overcome ZPD. Hence, scaffolding and ZPD are the two sides of the same coin. 

Many argues that scaffolding instruction as a teaching strategy originated from Lev Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory and his concept of ZPD.  The scaffolding teaching strategy provides individualized support based on the learner’s ZPD (Chang, Sung, & Chen, 2002).  In scaffolding instruction a more knowledgeable other provides scaffolds or supports to facilitate the learner’s development.