Cooperative Learning and the NLD Student

by Pamela B. Tanguay

Cooperative learning is the buzz in many school districts today. Is it simply another fad or phase which will disappear within a few years? Unlikely.

Corporate executives have indicated that employees entering the work force as young adults often lack the skill to work cooperatively with others. This is not surprising, since our educational system has historically fostered the accomplishments of the individual, and encouraged independent learning strategies. This results in a highly competitive environment for, and between, students. Compounding the problem is the rapid increase in technology. More and more we see students turning to a computer as an academic aid, rather than reaching out to other individuals. Consequently, when these students enter the work force and are required to work in a group and share team goals, they are unable to do so.

In order to address this problem, the educational system has developed the cooperative learning experience. Simply defined, this means that students are encouraged to work with other students in order to learn and succeed. Before addressing how a cooperative learning environment might benefit NLD students, we must first understand more about the concept itself, and what a well implemented strategy would entail.

The teacher first instructs the students in the dynamics of cooperative learning. He/she explains that the objective is for the team to complete an assignment, and that each student will be graded for their individual accomplishments and for the final team results. The teacher provides the students with the expectations for group learning, and provides a timeline for the students to follow. He/she clearly identifies what the assignment is, and how the students are to approach it from a team perspective. The entire team is held responsible for ensuring that all members participate throughout the activity. Individual roles are established for use within each group. For instance, each team might require a spokesperson, someone to take notes, someone to develop any visual material, a coordinator for research activities, and so on. Most importantly, the students receive instruction on how to provide constructive feedback to their team members. All of these requirements should be prepared by the teacher in writing, and provided to the students before starting their assignment.

The class is then broken out into small groups, with individual team members selected by the teacher. The classroom is arranged to facilitate group interaction. Written expectations and team rules are provided to each team. The teacher continually monitors student interaction within the groups, and provides assistance and clarification as needed. The teacher provides on-going feedback to each team on their use of group skills and facilitates problem-solving when necessary.

This teaching strategy, when properly implemented, is ideal for the NLD student, especially when introduced at a young age. Why? Let's consider the following academic characteristics of NLD youngsters:

They have impaired social skills.

1. They are often isolated from their peers.
   
2. They learn best when they are fully engaged.
   
3. Although they are often auditory learners, lecture classes which require notetaking creates a hardship for them.
   
4. They have very uneven skill sets.
   
5. They have difficulty determining relevant versus irrelevant information.
   
6. Their reading comprehension is impaired.
   
7. They are strong verbal learners.
   
8. They have weak organizational skills.

Now let's consider how a cooperative learning model can be highly beneficial to the NLD student. First, the social "rules" have been established by the teacher, and the team is responsible for ensuring that each member actively participates. Therefore, if the NLD student is reticent, he/she will be drawn out by their peers, rather than being allowed to passively observe the interaction of other members. Since the teacher selects the members of each team, care can be taken to insure that members are tolerant and supportive of the NLD youngster. The assignment has been clearly structured by the teacher, thereby mitigating the organizational difficulties of the NLD student, and further clarification may be provided by other team members. The NLD student is not solely responsible for a large assignment, but rather for a single task, where their strengths may be utilized. Any reading assignment required as part of the activity is discussed within the group. This allows the NLD student to gain an understanding of the material that they would likely not grasp alone.

Not only do cooperative learning exercises aid in the NLD students' academic learning process, but they also foster social skills, provide an opportunity for these students to display their strengths, thereby improving self-esteem, and with a little luck, provide a means for them to make friends.

To further enhance the cooperative learning experience for the NLD student, the following are additional recommended considerations:

1. Teams should be identified at the beginning of the school year, with specific care taken to ensure that the NLD student is placed with a supportive group of peers. The teams should continue throughout the course of the school year so that the NLD youngster can form relationships within the group, and be more likely to take risks within the team.

2. Once the NLD student becomes comfortable working within their team, the identified roles should be rotated so that the NLD student is exposed to tasks that he/she would not normally feel comfortable performing. The support of fellow team members is crucial in this process.

3. The team's feedback process is a critical component to the cooperative learning experience. Handled poorly, it is destructive for all students, but potentially devastating to the NLD student. In addition to very clear parameters established by the teacher (what is, and is not allowed while providing feedback between students), evaluation forms should be developed by the teacher which reinforce an acceptable process. For each assignment, all team members would evaluate his/her own contribution, as well as the team's combined performance. In addition, each member of the team would be responsible for providing feedback to each of their team mates. Feedback would require several positive statements, and only one constructive recommendation for improvement (with a zero-tolerance for destructive statements). The teacher would also complete evaluation forms measuring the effectiveness of the team as a unit, and for each member's contributions.

A cooperative learning approach can be introduced as early as preschool. In order for the NLD student to benefit from this teaching strategy, it should be implemented no later than the upper elementary grades. It is important to recognize that no matter how beneficial a concept might be, success depends upon well-executed implementation. For the typical student, a poorly implemented teaching strategy is merely ineffective. However, a poorly implemented cooperative learning environment would have disastrous results for the NLD student. The teacher must be well versed in all of the elements necessary to implement this learning strategy, as well as how it may benefit, or harm, the NLD student.

Copyright:  Pamela B. Tanguay, 1999

This article is posted on NLD on the Web! with permission of the author, who retains the rights to this article.