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Responsibility and Cooperation - Sukhpreet Kaur

Responsibility and Cooperation are two sides of a coin in cooperative learning. The art of responsibility and cooperation is an ongoing journey for children, all the way into adulthood. Learning to cooperate with respect is an important skill to master, helping children develop good relationships at home and school. Successful collaboration requires students to be respectful, caring, honest, thoughtful, reflective and open-minded. 

Cooperation isn't limited to work, rather it has its roots in every action of a person. Coming together and following a common goal needs cooperation and so cooperation is one of the human resources a man has.

Schools play an important role in teaching children responsibility. By instilling a sense of order and encouraging students to be accountable for their actions, schools help children understand the importance of taking responsibility for their own lives. Through classroom rules and expectations, as well as extracurricular activities and school-wide programs, children learn how to manage their time, set goals, and follow through on commitments. As they progress through their education, children who learn responsibility in school are more likely to become responsible adults.

Responsibility is a key character trait that we focus on every year. How do we teach responsibility? Here are several key ways to focus on student responsibility. There are a ton of little things in my classroom that need to be done on a daily basis.  I give students the responsibility of some of these small tasks, like filing papers, sharpening pencils, and straightening up our library. Spread table mats for each other before lunch break. Peer learning groups-help in sharing the responsibility. 

As Benjamin Franklin once said:

“Tell me and I forget.

Teach me and I remember.

Involve me and I learn”

Learning through cooperation is an instructional method in which students work in small groups to accomplish a common learning goal under the guidance of the teacher. Teacher or facilitator will set a goal and make groups. Students can discuss a question or topic, and then share with the whole class. Teachers often refer to this strategy as “think-pair-share”. Teachers who plan cooperative lessons often make groups of 4 . Students are assigned roles within the group so that they can divide and conquer the learning task at hand. For example, the reporter is responsible for sharing out the new learnings of the task. Often groups are divided into mixed skill groups. This can help students who struggle to have higher-level students mixed with lower-level students so that peer learning and coaching is incorporated. All of the mentioned techniques require planning and coordination on the part of the teacher.

As an enthusiastic teacher, all I wish my students 

  • work together for a common goal

  • learn to trust others through successful teamwork and collaboration

  • increase their social development and interactions

  • communicate their needs and listen to the needs of others

  • think about the perspectives of others and show empathy

  • Work through conflict with others to achieve a successful resolution

Teamwork activities always encourage one to hone their skills to work in a cooperative manner with respect.

Sukhpreet Kaur
Gyanshree School

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