Article “Learning to learn cooperatively” – Week 5 Reflection

            Although working in groups is a common practice in our classes, I had never reflected on some of the concepts of cooperative learning presented in this article before reading it. The seven suggestions of the author to help students learn to learn cooperatively are really important to the success of group activities but I’d like comment on one of them particularly – suggestion 1: make students aware of the purpose and benefits of learning cooperatively.

          I think when students understand the importance of cooperative learning they get more engaged to the task and, consequently, take more advantage of it. Thus, this value should be discussed with students before they take part in activities that demand an effective group work to be completed.

          Certainly, showing students how to work better together and providing them with an atmosphere that encourages social interaction is also essential to the process of learning to learn cooperatively.