The Basic Differences between the Tradition Term of Group Work and the Essay

The Basic Differences between the Tradition Term of Group Work and the Ideas behind Cooperative Learning Groups - Essay Example The Basic Differences between the Tradition Term of Group Work and the Ideas behind Cooperative Learning Groups Apart from the use of a part (small groups) of a whole, cooperative learning strategies differ fundamentally from traditional group work in a number of ways. Group work does not guarantee the full participation and mutual engagement of students in a group and, by extension, the whole class. The abilities and interests of students in a class are naturally not the same. Some may be very fast in picking while others are slow. Some may be weak in particular aspect of a subject and good in others. A relatively intelligent student in group may find it easy to accomplish group task and as such find the work interesting. A weaker student may not be that lucky and may have to coast along with his group members. There is no good reward that motivates the weak to double up. The group may be awarded points regardless of individual participation and growth. The group may earn recognition even if the weaker students perform woefully or if the gifted only carry along the weaker. The growth of indiv idual students is therefore not recognized as a contributor to group success. Conversely, cooperative learning strategies ensure active participation of all students using a reward structure that makes individual members to invest in each other’s learning. The reward structure is motivational. A group in cooperative learning strategy may earn points when there is comparative improvement of each member of the group.