ABSTRACT
Cooperative learning takes on many different forms in classrooms, but all involve students working in groups or teams to achieve certain educational goals. Beyond the most basic premise of working together, students must also depend on each other, a concept called positive interdependence. David and Roger Johnson of the University of Minnesota are the authors of the Learning Together model. The model is based in a generic group process theory applicable to all disciplines and grade levels. Cooperative Integrated Reading and Composition (CIRC) model is specifically designed for learning reading and writing in grades three through six. His Team Assisted Individualization (TAI) model is designed for mathematics learning in grades three through six. Other notable models include Schlomo and Yael Sharan's Group Investigation, which is a general plan for organizing a classroom using a variety of cooperative tactics for different disciplines; that of Kagan and Kagan, whose Structural Approach includes such intriguing procedures as Roundtable and Match Mine.
