Facilitating Cooperative Learning In The Third Grade Of Primary School

Today’s technologically advanced and continually changing society requires diverse knowledge and skills, and teachers encourage learning for life already in the early school years. It is important to develop students’ independence, responsibility, critical thinking, and the assuming of various roles in the society. One of the most recent active teaching methods is cooperative learning which enables cooperation, strengthening of solidarity, communication, listening, participation in decision-making, and assuming of responsibility while strengthening mutual relations, social growth, and students’ motivation and activity. In addition to cognitive processes, cooperative learning emphasises the social aspect of learning and gives preference to simultaneous participation of all students. In order for teamwork to be successful, all team members are needed to equally share ideas, ask questions, think, explain, critically assess, gain experience, help each other, express support, and maintain the feeling of trust. This means that this method requires good communication and cooperation skills which students must first learn about and then continually be included in the educational process so as to be able to skilfully develop and use them. This article presents a practical example of cooperative learning in the third grade of primary school. During the cooperative activities, the students showed tolerance and skilfully coordinated data and the gained knowledge. They realised that they were all needed for the team’s success and each new achievement motivated the team for even higher quality work. Within the team, students practiced various skills, communication and cooperation skills, while being highly motivated for the implementation of the activity.