Cooperative learning in a PGCE classroom

  Samantha Jones, Advanced Practitioner: Teacher Development and Scholarship, Bedford College, discusses the considerations needed to achieve effective cooperative learning in further education. I have been a lecturer in further education (FE) for 16 years - 12 of these as a business lecturer, and four in teacher education, where I teach on the PGCE PCET (Post-Compulsory Education and Training). I have recently completed an MSc in learning and teaching, researching continuous professional development (CPD) in FE colleges. During my Masters-level studies, I began to develop a deeper understanding of cooperative learning, working as a group with team goals, a method that Slavin (1989) argues has a significant effect on student achievement and socialisation. Cooperative learning focuses on group interaction, as opposed to collaborative learning that emphasises the development of shared meaning. In order for cooperative learning to be successful, consideration needs to be given t