Group Cooperative Learning in English Class

中圖分類號：H31 文獻標識碼：A 文章編號：1008-925X(2012)06-0224-01

Facing to various examinations， teachers and schools emphasize competition between students in their teaching. So the students have strong sense of competition but lack of the cooperative sense. They will not care about each other; neither helps each other nor works together. Thanks for the promotion of quality education in schools， cooperative learning is advocated to wider teaching areas.

1. What Is Group Cooperative Learning?

It is a form of classroom teaching that students who are in small groups achieve the learning task by helping each other， interdependence and teachers’ guidance to maximize their own and each other’s learning. In cooperative activities， students seek outcomes that are beneficial to both themselves and all other group members. Base on class teaching， group-activities are the main form. The standard for evaluation of cooperative learning is the achievement of the whole group. Each of the students makes contribution to the group in order to acquire better positive results.

2. The importance of Group Cooperative Learning in English Class.

2.1. Solves problems better.

Group cooperative learning helps the students to find the problems during working together， no need to be shame or worried to give wrong answers to the teacher， open to the students to raise their ideas.

2.2. Makes class active.

Fun in the class， to get student’s attention and interest， there are two essential components of using Group cooperative learning that help to assure the class active.

A) Positive interdependence to each other in a group. It means that each group member should recognize that if an activity is beneficial to one member; it will be helpful to the whole group. It helps the students to apply the “win-win” spirit in their further social life also.

B) Individual and group accountability， which are achievements of the group goals， and the individual accountability contributed by the member’s share of the work. Each of the group members has responsibility to finish personal task and help others who need more assistance， support and encouragement in studying.

2.3. Emphasizes student-oriental.

Group cooperative learning gets rid of the traditional teaching model in which there is only the communication between teachers and students. Doing cooperative learning in English class can not only impel students’ learning activities， but also improve the environment of the class and develop students’ personality.

2.4. Benefits students in improving their oral English and communicational ability.

In traditional English class， teachers speak most of the time; students just listen and accept the knowledge. Only a few students have chances to speak the target language. Moreover， the students that have the chance in the class only speak according to the model that the teachers set for them. They speak but not communicate. By contrast， a cooperative learning class provided students with much more opportunities to join in communication through the group activities. And the topics they talk about are closed to their daily life. There is no doubt that the students’ ability of using English， especially of using oral English is better.

3. The shortcomings of group cooperative learning.

It also has some obvious negative points.

a) English proficient students harvest slightly.

b) Poor students might be discouraged to learn and speak because of lack of skillful English or cooperation.

c) Students might not realize and point out the error during the group learning.

d) No guarantee the students to use English only during discussion and cooperation.

Regarding to these shortcomings， teachers have to learn how to use the methods， pay more attention to the guidance of the group activities， give equal chance to not only top students but also the medium and inferior ones for their expression of their own ideas and encouraging students to give help to each other in cooperative learning groups.

Group Cooperative learning becomes more popular in teaching and learning in China. More and more teachers try to use cooperative learning because of its significant in language teaching. However， it cannot be used all the times. Teachers must make teaching plan with the thinking of the personality of their students， the contents they are going to teach， and the classroom they are going to use， otherwise， group cooperative learning cannot shine. Whether group cooperative learning is used successfully or not， students’ cooperative skills are the key point for it. Thereby， another important thing for teachers is teaching students how to wish to cooperate with others. Cooperative and communication skills are learning skills. It helps students learn self-oriental and interest-oriental.

Through developing the theories of group cooperative learning continue practice， teachers may develop a particular method， which is suitable for Chinese students and teachers’ own characters.