Innovation in Language Learning

Research agrees on the need to help students develop relevant skills and abilities, such as intellectual curiosity (Baehr, 2013); openness to the world (Conole, 2013); autonomy and responsibility (Boud, 2005); creativity (Cropley, 1995); critical thinking (Strohm, & Baukus, 1995); and teamwork (Kyprianidou, Demetriadis, Tsiatsos, & Pombortsis, 2012). More specifically, cooperative learning (CL) is widely accepted as an effective educational practice (e.g., Peterson & Miller, 2004; Kirschnera, Pass, & Kirschner, 2009, among others). In this context, the educational opportunities of CL are recognised by the scientific community (Gillies, 2014), whose practice is encouraged in the 21stcenturyclassroom. This work explores the impact of cooperative learning on a heterogeneous group of 100 Spanish compulsory-education students (aged 8-15) who participated in a project-based implementation of a specific CL technique (Lesson Study) on the frame of DICO+ (2018-1-FR01-KA201-047904). The study research questions focused mainly on students’ answers to a questionnaire (pre- and post-) regarding their opinion on their preferred disciplines for CL. By applying quantitative research method students’ views were analyzed. Findings revealed that students prefer Maths over any other subject. Overall, data provide evidence that the adoption of CL practices enhance teamwork, leadership skills and critical thinking. Our discussion draws on the idea that teachers should implement CL more frequently in line with the results of this research, as the importance of structuring cooperative work benefits learning (Buchs, 2017).

Keywords: Cooperative Learning, DICO+, Quantitative Analysis.

References: 
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