CAN COOPERATIVE LEARNING BE USED IN EARLY CHILDHOOD CLASSES?
When a child first comes to a structured educational setting, one of the teacher’s goals is to help the child move from being aware only of himself.gif or herself.gif to becoming aware of other children. At this stage of learning, teachers are concerned that children learn to share, take turns, and show caring behaviors for others. Structured activities which promote cooperation can help to bring about these outcomes. One of the most consistent research findings is that cooperative learning activities improve children’s relationships with peers, especially those of different social and ethnic groups. When children begin to work on readiness tasks, cooperation can provide opportunities for sharing ideas, learning how others think and react to problems, and practicing oral language skills in small groups. Cooperative learning in early childhood can promote positive feelings toward school, teachers, and peers. These feelings build an important base for further success in school. WHAT ARE
