Cooperative Learning Research Paper

Cooperative learning and its application in the field of economics

1. Introduction

Do cooperative learning methods actually help students? Do they help student complete the gauntlet that is the modern course in economics, and do they help young adult, fresh out of university to assimilate in to the work place and overcome its myriad of challenges? With the advancement of the human race a greater understanding of the psychology of the mind has allowed educators to create learning methods – under which cooperative learning is the most well-known – that allow learners in any setting to reach their full potential. The aim of this assignment is to discuss whether or not cooperative learning methods actually help students. This will be done by defining

One of the greatest challenges of cooperative learning is its constant reliance on a positive group dynamic so that the task can be completed at an above satisfactory level. Conflict between individuals can diminish or stall a group’s ability to work to complete the task at hand. Pupils’ relationships are usually fraught with “playground drama” that immature individuals cannot suppress to focus on the task (Kagan, 1999; Johnson et al., 1998:28). Mismatched personalities can cause unsatisfactory cooperative learning even when there is no conflict or drama present. This is caused by individuals with dominant personalities moving into leadership positions even though they are not necessarily the best suited to steer the group to success (Kagan, 1999). Another example of conflict stalling or diminishing a group’s ability to work would be individuals who work at different paces. Individuals generally absorb information at different paces making it harder for a group to work cooperatively if some group members work slower than others. Working in a group like this can cause some individuals to be left behind and ultimately have no understanding of what the task is about, let alone how to complete it. This causes certain individuals, who may not be the best suited, to take over and control the group (Mentz et al., 2008:256).

Thus it can concluded that although like any method within the world of education, group work has shown itself to be a remarkable tool in helping students improve in general as well as overcome extremely difficult tertiary education courses. The easy implementation process is another crowning accomplishment of cooperative learning as it allows educators to focus more on the students and result instead of a multitude of steps concerning the process’s execution. Therefore it can be said that there is no end to the benefits delivered by cooperative learning, and that, educators and learners both should be encouraged to reap the multitude of benefits associated with this learning method in the effort of eventually reaching their full