Cooperative learning games.
Yesterday I read this fascinating post from Shelly Terrell ( @ShellTerrell on Twitter) about cooperation versus competition.
Shelly Terrell explains her journey at an English camp for German speaking children and how she "decided to try Alfie Kohn’s idea to make the classroom more cooperative versus competitive." I had never thought about competition that way as I have always been brought up in a competitive environment. I think being French, the French Education system is maybe one of the most competitive system in place! However surely if students learn how to cooperate instead of competing, they will improve better? One thing that intrigued me even more is that Shelly used cooperative games to make children work together. For example, she played the musical chairs in a completely different way. Now if you think about it, musical chairs is a prime example of a game the does more to exclude children rather than involve them. This popular game often becomes a pushing battle for the few remaining competitors while the other children are left as bored spectators. Well... Not if you play musical chairs where when the music stops everyone needs to find a seat. The goal is ensure everyone has a place! As the game continues you remove an additional chair after each round. With a smaller amount of chairs available, children will find the need to work together and cooperate in order to find room for everyone. This may mean sitting on laps and sharing chairs. In this version no one is eliminated or asked to wait!After reading this post, having a more cooperative learning environment in my classroom is something I am willing to explore next year.So thank you Shelly for your inspiration! Have a look at other cooperative games ideas, I think they are really interesting and could be applied in MFL teaching, especially the "Name Ball" game.(download)
And you? Have you tried cooperative learning before?
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