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AUG 2, 2004Tactic: Divide the learning, Result: Conquer the lesson

TEACHERS at Mayflower Primary School knew they were doing something right when their lessons were recorded on VCDs by the National Institute of Education.

These recorded classes, which involve pupils working in teams, are now being used to instruct trainee teachers on how to carry out this kind of lessons.

Under the scheme, dubbed cooperative learning strategies, the youngsters are divided into groups and the teachers decide how their group activities will be done.

The method can be applied to most subjects and to children at all primary and secondary school levels.

Although it is not compulsory for Mayflower Primary's teachers to use the method, almost all are using the various strategies at least once a week.

Cooperative learning was implemented in the school in 2001.

One of the strategies called Jigsaw requires a class to be broken up into groups of four. Each member is given a number from one to four.

To make it easier for them to talk together, the tables in the classroom are arranged so everyone in a group faces each other.

In a Primary 4 science lesson on pollution, for instance, all the number Ones of the various groups are gathered in one group, all the number Twos in another, and so on.

Each of these groups discusses a specific aspect of pollution, like air, water, noise or chemical pollution, after which the youngsters return to their original group and present what they have learnt to the other three members.

Teachers said this strategy helps save time when covering a lengthy topic because all the pupils learn at once.

The children are also more likely to pay attention and learn, because their peers are depending on them for information, said the teachers.

Primary 4 teacher Ignatius Lim, 26, who uses the strategies at least four times a week, said the scheme has helped raise the youngsters' grades in English.

In the last continual assessment for this subject, 30 per cent of his pupils obtained a Band 1 grade, 25 per cent more than in the previous assessment in March this year.

Here are some of the other cooperative learning strategies teachers in Mayflower Primary School use and how they benefit children:

WORKING IN PAIRS TO LEARN AND SHARE

THE most basic strategy of the scheme is called Think, Pair And Share.

It is used mostly in the lower primary school classes, where pupils are paired up to test each other on what they have learnt.

In a mathematics lesson, for example, the teacher may ask the class a question on addition. Instead of having the whole class call out the answer to the question, the children face their
partner and tell each other the answer.

Teachers can track who does not understand the lesson by asking those whose partners got the answer wrong to put up their hands.

That way, a child need not be embarrassed to admit he does not know the answer, and his partner can explain to him how to do the problem.

Pupils also discuss ideas for composition in pairs and may even divide their comprehension passage into parts, explaining to their partner what they have read so the two of them can cope with a lengthy exercise.

'Working in pairs has the same benefits as the Jigsaw strategy - feeling responsible for your partner's learning and dividing the work up,' said Mr Lim.

'It helps the pupils ease into speaking up in class and discussing ideas with their peers,' he added.

LETTING EACH CHILD TAKE CHARGE OF A TASK

LET each child see himself as a leader by giving him some responsibility.

If a class is divided up into groups of four, he could be:

the Hush-Hush keeper, the one who ensures the group doesn't make too much noise;

the Recorder, who writes down everyone's ideas;

the Encourager, who sees that everyone is given a fair chance to speak; or

the Time-Keeper, who ensures the group keeps track of the time they have been given to complete an assignment.

Each child is also given a stack of 'talking chips' in a colour different from the other three in his group, and is required to hold up his chip before he speaks.

But he can only do so after the pupil speaking has placed his in the centre of the table, indicating that he has finished what he has to say.

A Primary 1 teacher, Mrs Linda Ho, 55, said: 'Children learn not to speak when someone else is talking, and it also helps the teachers gauge who has been involved in the discussion and who hasn't by counting the number of chips contributed by each child.'

When they divide the children into groups, teachers also ensure that each group has a quick learner, two average learners and a slow learner, children from different races and two of each gender.

This way, children learn to interact with others of different abilities, races and gender.
These groups are usually shuffled every semester.

Said 10-year-old Milon Goh: 'I didn't have the courage to get to know some of the other kids in my class, but now that we work in different groups, I get to meet everyone and some of them have even become my good friends.'

APPLYING STRATEGIES AT HOME AS WELL

PARENTS can also apply the learning strategies at home.

When speaking to their child, they can assume the role of his classmate and discuss a topic with him.

For example, they could discuss what the effects of an earthquake would be, and after their child has said what he thinks, they should offer their opinion as well.

If he has cousins or siblings, they could get each one to read up a different short story in a book and ask them to tell each other what they have just read.

The child can also be given a set of 'talking chips' during meals and asked to hold one up when he wants to speak, but only when the person talking has stopped.

This can reinforce the idea of waiting one's turn to speak and promote good manners.

Copyright @ 2004 Singapore Press Holdings. All rights reserved.

posted by Marcus Ang @ 8:56 AM