abstract
The pedagogical model cooperative learning (CL) has generated extensive research documenting its
benefits for students' learning. Nevertheless, studies indicate that teachers face challenges in practicing the
method. This paper presents a narrative of one teacher's experience with CL from a longitudinal
Perspective. It shows that the teacher's participation in a professional development program with a teacher team supported his use of CL. The team cultivated a community of practice. However, changing the team after training negatively affected his use of CL. The study reveals the potential of a teacher team for practicing CL and illuminates certain challenges faced when implementing the method.
© 2021 The Author. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open-access article under the CC BY license introduction. If I think about where I am with cooperative learning right now… It's not like my learning and engagement with cooperative learning had ended, but more like it was paused when I was transferred to a different teacher team. This is what Daniel, the teacher whose narrative is presented in this paper, told me during our last interview following his two years of learning about and implementing cooperative learning (CL).
Cooperative learning is a pedagogical model that is widely acknowledged to enhance students' social and academic learning through the structured use of small groups. However, teachers have had difficulties implementing CL in their teaching, which means that the full potential of CL is not being exploited in schools. This paper uses a narrative approach to present one teacher's experience of learning and implementing CL from a longitudinal perspective. Little research has been conducted on how teachers develop a CL practice and implement it in their teaching (Baines et al., 2015). The use of narrative in this study facilitates a rich holistic account of one teacher's experience. Presenting Daniel's story as a narrative provides insights into the complexity of implementing CL from a teacher's perspective. An analysis of Daniel's narrative offers useful knowledge about how a sustainable implementation of CL might be supported and the factors that educational policy-makers, school leaders, and teachers might consider when planning to implement CL. Theoretical framework
2.1. Cooperative learning
Cooperative learning is a long-standing pedagogical model that has generated extensive research. Its positive effects on students' academic and social learning are well documented (Johnson et al.,
2014; Kyndt et al., 2013; Roseth et al., 2008). Cooperative learning differs from regular group work, as it is structured by teachers based on elements that mediate effective student cooperation. When designing and structuring a CL strategy, a teacher should consider five essential elements: positive interdependence, individual accountability, interpersonal and small group skills, pro-motive interaction, and group processing (see Johnson & Johnson,
2002). Students work together in small groups during CL activities to maximize their own and each other's learning (Johnson &Johnson, 1999; Slavin, 2014). Studies show that CL improves stud ents' achievement, attitudes, motivation, peer relationships, and well-being (Fernandez-Rio et al., 2017; Johnson et al., 2014; Kyndte t al., 2013; Roseth et al., 2008)
Funding
This work was supported by The Research Council of Norway [grant number 271814]. The funding sources had no involvement in the research. I declare that this manuscript has not been published and is not under consideration for publication elsewhere. There are no conflicts of interest associated with this publication.
Acknowledgments
The author would like to thank the teacher who participated in the study and Professor Kari Smith and Associate Professor Ela Sjølie for their feedback during the writing process.
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