Cooperative learning has emerged to be a preferred teaching-learning model in South Africa since the inception of Curriculum 2005 (C2005) emphasising Outcomes-based education (OBE). However, the documented success rate of cooperative learning in mathematics was experienced in small group sizes (emanating h m small class size) of about five learners. This study, therefore, aims at affording mathematics teachers and learners of crowded classes an opportunity to effectively use cooperative learning, namely the Hour-glass model in mathematics lessons. The prevalence of crowded classes in the majority of South African schools seems to inhibit the effectiveness of cooperative learning in mathematics. The big cooperative group size of about eight learners in South African context results in very complex lines of communication between learners. The teacher spends more time trying to manage off-task behaviour of learners instead of engaging them in active participation in the learning of mathematics. The combined quantitative and qualitative research methods were used. For the former, the study orientation in mathematics (SOM) questionnaire and the mathematics academic achievement test were used to collect data with regard to the influence of the Hour-glass model on the learners' learning skills in mathematics, and on the mathematics academic achievement respectively. A specific true experimental design, namely, the Solomon Four-group design, was used because of a large sample size (n > 500), and its credited ability to control the sources of threats to internal validity. For the latter the lesson observation and interviews were conducted to collect information about the influence of the Hour-glass model on learners' social skills during cooperative learning in mathematics. The groups that received the treatment (i.e. Hour-glass model) achieved higher scores of practical significance in mathematics academic achievement test than the groups that did not receive the treatment The Hour-glass model also yielded positive social skills among learners during mathematics learning. The teachers who applied the Hour-glass model revealed that they coped easier with crowded mathematics classes when using cooperative small groups. However, the Hour-glass model did not significantly influence learners' learning skills in mathematics. Certain logistical and administrative limitations emerged with regard to the implementation of the Hour-glass model in the usual school setting. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

During the past few years, pair-programming is a programming technique that has received an increasing amount of attention in the teaching of computer programming skills. Pair programming can briefly be described as a programming situation in which two persons sit at one computer and execute the task together. Although much research has been done on the advantages and disadvantages of pair programming, the assessment of computer skills acquired in pairs still remains a problem. The perception exists that pair assessment is not a reliable indicator of students' computer programming abilities. The purpose of the study was to determine whether (1) the results of programming skills assessed in pairs correlate with those of programming skills assessed individually, and (2) to investigate students' perceptions of pair and individual assessment. To reach these objectives, a literature study was performed to investigate pair programming as programming technique and the assessment of programming skills acquired in pairs. The empirical study has revealed that a positive relation exists between programming skills assessed in pairs and programming skills assessed individually. Furthermore, it was found that in general students' perceptions concerning pair assessment have changed positively. Based on the results arising from the empirical study, guidelines were suggested for the facilitation and assessment of pair programming skills. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

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Lietuvos švietimo sistemoje vyksta ryškus poslinkis nuo tam tikrų dalykų mokymo link mokymosi; nuo mokymo proceso analizės į mokymosi proceso analizę; nuo centrinio mokytojo vaidmens mokymo procese į centrinį besimokančiojo vaidmenį mokymosi procese. Pradinėje mokykloje yra ugdomi ne tik gimtosios, bet ir užsienio kabos komunikaciniai gebėjimai. Pasinaudojant tinkamu kalbų mokymuisi amžiumi bei atsižvelgiant į uždavinius, kurie turi būti sprendžiami ankstyvąjame mokykliniame amžiuje, mokymosi procesą reikėtų organizuoti taip, kad mokymąsis palengvintų besimokančiųjų tapimą savarankiškais; jiems suteiktų mokymosi refleksijos galimybę bei ugdtytų gebėjimus, reikalingus šiuolaikiniame darbo pasaulyje – efektyvaus bendravimo įgūdžius, problemos sprendimo, bendradarbiavimo dirbant grupėje įgūdžius. Darbe yra analizuojama Kauno „Šilo“ pradinės mokyklos III klasės mokinių ankstyvosios anglų kalbos mokymasis bendradarbiaujant. Tyrimo problema. Mokantis ankstyvosios anglų kalbos ne visi mokiniai komunikuoja užsienio kalba, jaučia nepasitikėjimą savo jėgomis, bijo būti sukritikuoti draugų. Daugelis mokinių pamokoje tampa pasyviais dalyviais, stebėtojais, dėl to nepakankamai ugdomi mokinių kalbiniai gebėjimai bei nukenčia mokinių mokymosi rezultatai. Taigi šio darbo tikslas - nustatyti mokymosi bendradarbiaujant reikšmę ugdant mokinių komunikacinius anglų kalbos gebėjimus. Uždaviniai: 1) Aprašyti anglų kalbos mokymosi ypatumus jaunesniąjame mokykliniame amžiuje; 2) Aprašyti mokymosi... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The system of education is changing in Lithuania nowadays. The improvement of it is essential for the whole educational process. It‘s going over to advanced learning methods rather than to teaching methods. The education is turning away from the central role of the teacher towards the learner, who has the main role in the process of learning. It‘s changing from the results emphasising teaching paradigm into the paradigm emphasising the very process of learning. Students develop their foreign language communicative skills at primary school as well. Organising learning process and choosing learning methods we should take into consideration young learners age. Problem of the research. Traditional methods don‘t give enough opportunities to develop communicative skills. Learners train their skills but too little. Some students are shy and they are afraid to be laughed at, others are not like participating in the lessons, they become passive observes. The question of the research. Does the use of co-operation methods influence English language communicative skills at early school age and determine better learning results The aim. To establish the influence of cooperation methods on the development of English language communicative skills. Object of the research is application of methods in groups. Tasks of the research are: 1) to describe the main features of English language learning at early school age; 2) to describe the conception of cooperation; 3) to characterize... [to full text]

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of cooperative learning on preservice elementary teachers’ interest in, and the application of music into, core academic subject lesson plans. Participants (N = 59) were preservice elementary teachers enrolled in four class sections of a music method course designed for elementary education majors at a large southern university. All members participating in the study were placed by section for eight weeks in one of two groups-an individualistic learning group or cooperative learning group. During the first 6 weeks of the study, participants worked on the Music Integration Project. The purpose of the project was to develop academic lesson plans with the integration of music. Each Music Integration Project consisted of a: (a) title page, (b) table of contents, (c) a rationale citing 2 primary sources, and (d) 10 lesson plans integrating music into core subject lesson plans. At the conclusion of the 6 weeks, participants turned in their projects, which were scored by the primary investigator using the Music Integration Project Rubrics developed by the researcher. The Integrated Music Project Rubrics consisted of three sub-rubrics: (a) Organization Rubric, (b) Rationale Rubric, and (c) Lesson Plan Rubric. During the last two weeks of the study, all of the participants were videotaped teaching an integrated music lesson. Tapes were analyzed post-hoc and the participants’ scores were recorded by using the Integration of Music Observation Map. This Map assessed each of the participant’s microteaching on ten different criteria: (a) teacher, (b) pupils, (c) process, (d) element, (e) atmosphere, (f) purpose, (g) authenticity, (h) expression, (i) degree, and (j) range. Participants also completed a pre and post-Integrated Music Project Interest Survey. The independent variable used in this study was learning environment, cooperative learning and individualistic learning. The dependent variables were the participants’ scores on the Integrated Music Project Rubrics (organization, rationale, and lesson plan), scores from the Integration Music Observation Map, and scores from the pre/post interest survey. Interjudge reliability consisted of 20% of the scores from each learning groups’ Integrated Music Project and microteaching. Interjudge reliability was calculated as a Pearson product-moment correlation and found to be high with a range of r= .82 to .96. An alpha level of .05 was set for all tests of significance. Results from the Music Integration Project showed cooperative learning participants scoring statistically significantly higher on the organization rubric, lesson plan rubric, and total scores than participants in the individualistic learning group. For the microteaching component, participants in the cooperative learning environment scored statistically significantly higher on the Integration Music Observation Map in the areas of: (a) pupils, (b) atmosphere, (c) purpose, (d) authenticity, and (e) degree. On the pre and post Integrated Music Project Interest Survey, participants in the cooperative learning group rated all areas (attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction) statistically significantly higher than participants in the individualistic learning environment.

Cooperative learning has emerged to be a preferred teaching-learning model in South Africa since the inception of Curriculum 2005 (C2005) emphasising Outcomes-based education (OBE). However, the documented success rate of cooperative learning in mathematics was experienced in small group sizes (emanating h m small class size) of about five learners. This study, therefore, aims at affording mathematics teachers and learners of crowded classes an opportunity to effectively use cooperative learning, namely the Hour-glass model in mathematics lessons. The prevalence of crowded classes in the majority of South African schools seems to inhibit the effectiveness of cooperative learning in mathematics. The big cooperative group size of about eight learners in South African context results in very complex lines of communication between learners. The teacher spends more time trying to manage off-task behaviour of learners instead of engaging them in active participation in the learning of mathematics. The combined quantitative and qualitative research methods were used. For the former, the study orientation in mathematics (SOM) questionnaire and the mathematics academic achievement test were used to collect data with regard to the influence of the Hour-glass model on the learners' learning skills in mathematics, and on the mathematics academic achievement respectively. A specific true experimental design, namely, the Solomon Four-group design, was used because of a large sample size (n > 500), and its credited ability to control the sources of threats to internal validity. For the latter the lesson observation and interviews were conducted to collect information about the influence of the Hour-glass model on learners' social skills during cooperative learning in mathematics. The groups that received the treatment (i.e. Hour-glass model) achieved higher scores of practical significance in mathematics academic achievement test than the groups that did not receive the treatment The Hour-glass model also yielded positive social skills among learners during mathematics learning. The teachers who applied the Hour-glass model revealed that they coped easier with crowded mathematics classes when using cooperative small groups. However, the Hour-glass model did not significantly influence learners' learning skills in mathematics. Certain logistical and administrative limitations emerged with regard to the implementation of the Hour-glass model in the usual school setting. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2004.

During the past few years, pair-programming is a programming technique that has received an increasing amount of attention in the teaching of computer programming skills. Pair programming can briefly be described as a programming situation in which two persons sit at one computer and execute the task together. Although much research has been done on the advantages and disadvantages of pair programming, the assessment of computer skills acquired in pairs still remains a problem. The perception exists that pair assessment is not a reliable indicator of students' computer programming abilities. The purpose of the study was to determine whether (1) the results of programming skills assessed in pairs correlate with those of programming skills assessed individually, and (2) to investigate students' perceptions of pair and individual assessment. To reach these objectives, a literature study was performed to investigate pair programming as programming technique and the assessment of programming skills acquired in pairs. The empirical study has revealed that a positive relation exists between programming skills assessed in pairs and programming skills assessed individually. Furthermore, it was found that in general students' perceptions concerning pair assessment have changed positively. Based on the results arising from the empirical study, guidelines were suggested for the facilitation and assessment of pair programming skills. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2008.

According to the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) of South Africa cognitive development is a prominent matter which should already commence at pre-school teaching and learning. The NCS envisages learners who will develop to maturity, take their place in society and solve problems by means of critical and creative thinking. Accordingly, teachers are challenged to create teaching and learning environments that stimulate and encourage intellectual openness. This study was undertaken in an attempt to determine to which extent thinking skills in the Foundation Phase, with specific reference to Grade 3 learners, are developed. The study also sought to establish the potential of a self developed, curriculum-based co-operative teaching-learning intervention programme for the development and/or improvement of the thinking skills of Grade 3 learners. The nature of cognitive development, the importance of co-operative learning for cognitive development and the thinking skills that Grade 3 learners should possess, were researched by means of a literature study. A quasiexperimental study followed, using a sequential mixed-method research design. By means of a pre-test the cognitive development levels of two experimental groups, namely experimental group A and experimental group B, comprising thirty learners each, were determined. Thereafter, both groups were exposed to a co-operative teaching-learning intervention programme on a rotational basis to determine the impact of the cooperative teaching-learning intervention programme on the thinking skills of the learners. Data was collected by means of testing and semi-structured interviews with the class teachers of the experimental groups A and B prior to and after the completion of the intervention, focus-group interviews with the learners after the intervention and observation during the implementation of the intervention. Based on the results, it appeared that in accordance with the vision of the NCS, trouble is being taken with the development of the thinking skills of the Foundation Phase learners who took part in the study, and that co-operative learning possesses the latent potential to further develop and promote thinking skills. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Learning and Teaching)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.

According to the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) of South Africa cognitive development is a prominent matter which should already commence at pre-school teaching and learning. The NCS envisages learners who will develop to maturity, take their place in society and solve problems by means of critical and creative thinking. Accordingly, teachers are challenged to create teaching and learning environments that stimulate and encourage intellectual openness. This study was undertaken in an attempt to determine to which extent thinking skills in the Foundation Phase, with specific reference to Grade 3 learners, are developed. The study also sought to establish the potential of a self developed, curriculum-based co-operative teaching-learning intervention programme for the development and/or improvement of the thinking skills of Grade 3 learners. The nature of cognitive development, the importance of co-operative learning for cognitive development and the thinking skills that Grade 3 learners should possess, were researched by means of a literature study. A quasiexperimental study followed, using a sequential mixed-method research design. By means of a pre-test the cognitive development levels of two experimental groups, namely experimental group A and experimental group B, comprising thirty learners each, were determined. Thereafter, both groups were exposed to a co-operative teaching-learning intervention programme on a rotational basis to determine the impact of the cooperative teaching-learning intervention programme on the thinking skills of the learners. Data was collected by means of testing and semi-structured interviews with the class teachers of the experimental groups A and B prior to and after the completion of the intervention, focus-group interviews with the learners after the intervention and observation during the implementation of the intervention. Based on the results, it appeared that in accordance with the vision of the NCS, trouble is being taken with the development of the thinking skills of the Foundation Phase learners who took part in the study, and that co-operative learning possesses the latent potential to further develop and promote thinking skills. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Learning and Teaching)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of cooperative learning activities and the STAD technique on students&rsquo / vocabulary retention. The relationship between students&rsquo / course achievement and type of vocabulary learning activities they engage in with respect to their retention levels were also investigated. The study was conducted with one elementary level group at BaSkent University. 22 students took part in the study. The participants were taught a total of 40 words, through 4 reading lesson plans, two of which implemented cooperative learning activities while the other two implemented group work activities. A pre-test on the target words was administered before each lesson, and a post-test was given two weeks after each lesson to see if there was any difference in students&rsquo / retention levels in favor of either technique. The data gathered were analysed through the t-test procedure and the regression analysis test. According to the results of these tests, cooperative learning activities produced better retention results than group work activities. The study also found that there is no relation between the students&rsquo / course achievement grades and their vocabulary retention scores.