Cooperative learning: First day

11 of February of 2014. We did our first presentations for this subject. The special and different thing these presentations had was that we had to explain our team plan, new for us. We have to learn how to teach to work in group using different techniques by the time we teach a specific content. That’s the cooperative learning.

The first group was KIA (Kids in action). It was a good presentation, about the Solar system. Firstly was structured the planification, then the didactic unit and the references or sources or information. They had clear ideas and aims. Their techniques were Jigsaw and TGT.

One important aspect in this group is that they adapted to a new situation: A member less.

And what had I learn in that exposition? Well, I thing I would highlight the importance of sharing the team plan (in order to learn from the mistakes); that if we work together despite the level of English or getting nervous of the members, the work will be, at least, good. The project had well technical stuff. And they worked handicraft with children, that it was really good, because they develop creativity and it is not the typical magisterial class.

 KIA team may add to their project some songs, videos or pictures, something more graphic, in order to make children focus better and, so they learn more. And I think the games can be better if it doesn´t exist a clearly winner or someone up from the rest, all the pupils have to feel useful for the class and for their teams.

By the way, it was a complete project, so children would work group abilities and the solar system by enjoying the lessons.

The second group was The Minions. The project consisted on music and instruments. The work was structured in personal commitments, the didactic unit, highlighting the day a day notebook; bibliographic references and the team plan to finish it. But they started without a clear introduction. I would say they had a kind of “technical disaster”. And they didn’t explain anything if theory.  It wasn’t too entertaining.

 By the way I really liked the idea of the diary notebook despite I may miss a specific focus to the content of the subject to have a clear idea of how they know or how they are dealing with all the information.

In solving problems, they use a seedy way to doing it. The play a song with a mobile phone instead of searching the method of playing well, so they use the speed way but not the best or the smartest one to do it in my opinion.

Elisabet was very nervous, but avoiding that, it was good at speaking time. The general fluency of English was almost good, but there are going to improve it little a little.

The ideas were very clear. The project was very good at this aspect.

As our group, they used the Jigsaw technique, because is obvious it importance at the time of working in groups, making experts teams. The sessions were dynamic, so children would learn more or in a better form. Their activities make children feel useful for the class and their partners, and not being one better than other.

A special thing to mention is the work like a team. All the members do the entire project, I really liked that. Congratulations in that sense to The Minions.

To conclude my reflection I will say that it seems to be a good project for the future, correcting these little things, the children will enjoy the classes and the will learn, the main objective.