Cooperative learning receives mixed reviews

This past week I completed one of my group presentations that was due this semester. The project was done well and all group members were very productive, but my reaction to cooperative learning is still rather mixed.

In my entire academic career, I have done around 10 to 15 group projects or some other cooperative learning assignments.

Research shows that cooperative learning has many advantages over competitive and individualized learning in a vast array of tasks.

I agree with research that cooperative and group learning does offer a different style of learning, but is that style any better than individual learning?

Group projects and all other assignments dealing with cooperative learning do have pros. For one, it encourages social interaction among your classmates and offers a chance to meet a diverse group of people. At a school where social interaction is not a top priority, a little forced social interaction is not such a bad idea.

From here on out, our lives will be determined by the way we handle people. And being personable takes a little bit of practice, so group projects give individuals an opportunity to enhance their interpersonal development that is necessary for success.

Another pro is that it teaches the teamwork that will be necessary in probably any job you get after leaving here. You may not have to give an oral report with your team in your future career, but you will have to do work based on someone else's previous work.

Communication is essential in ensuring that what data you have is correct and reliable.

Studies also show cooperative learning leads to higher achievement, newer ideas and solutions to problems and better reasoning strategies.

Individuals also show better understanding of a topic after working in a group. With all the opportunities for personal feedback, the student actively engages in learning.

Most of us learn through lecture and reading material on our own. But group projects offer a different style of learning. With group projects, you have the opportunity to learn from students who are experiencing the same thing as you are, in an environment other than the classroom.

There are also many negative aspects of cooperative learning. The first con is all individuals put forth less individual work in a group project than they would if the project had been conducted by only one individual. In social psychology, this is known as social loafing.

Another difficult aspect of working in groups is learning other people's habits. Not everyone works like the next person. Some people like to get work done early, while others tend to wait until the last minute. Some want the project to be perfect, while others want to turn in something just so they get the grade.

Most projects are designed so that one stage of the project requires completion of the previous stage. So if one team member is late with all their work, then it not only holds them back, but holds the team back as well.

These clashes of personality make working in groups a little difficult sometimes.

Also not all projects are designed where a team can efficiently work together to arrive at a solution. One team member usually takes charge as the leader and they sometimes get stuck with a majority of the work, all for the sake of the team.

One of the biggest cons of group projects is how grades are assigned. Professors only see the final project; they don't see individual names showing how much work was done by that individual.

Some professors do ask for critiques of your other team members, but how many of us have really given someone a failing mark for a project? Also these critiques sometimes don't weigh as heavily on the grade as they should. So what is the fair way to grade a group project?

I am still mixed on the concept, but I understand why professors as well as professionals see group projects as a plus to your learning experience. It teaches many valuable tools but also provides obstacles for students to overcome.