Many learning professionals use the terms collaborative learning and cooperative learning interchangeably. Some researchers even alternate between them in a single article. But that doesn’t mean that they’re the same thing.
Here at Eduflow, we think it’s important to distinguish between the two. Collaborative learning is the umbrella term we use when two or more people learn together. Cooperative learning is a subset (or type) of collaborative learning.
In cooperative learning, activities and roles are structured and overseen by teachers or facilitators. In other types of collaborative learning, participants have more freedom in how they organize their learning.
This post will explain what sets cooperative learning apart as a collaborative learning strategy, when you should use it, and how to set up successful cooperative learning practices in your workplace.
Even in cases where collaborative and cooperative learning are used interchangeably, the words themselves have different origins in education theory.
As we discussed in our post on collaborative learning, the philosophy behind collaborative learning has its roots in social constructivism, notably in the work of Lev Vygotsky. For social constructivists, knowledge and social development are constructed through interactions with others. Learning happens in group and social settings, from peers and teachers.
Cooperative learning theory for education comes partly from the work of Karl Smith and David and Roger Johnson. According to the authors of Collaborative Learning Techniques, cooperative learning was meant to provide an alternative to “the overemphasis on competition in traditional education.”
Instead of encouraging students to compete with each other for grades or achievement, cooperative learning asks them to work together and participate in group learning activities, under the guidance of a teacher. Students’ different strengths, backgrounds, and acquired knowledge enrich the learning experience. Students gain more knowledge as a group than they would be able to individually.
Cooperative learning also owes a lot to the work of psychologist and educational researcher Spencer Kagan, who began applying his principles of cooperative learning as a professor at the UC Riverside. For Kagan, cooperative learning requires four essential elements, the PIES principles:
- Positive interdependence: the gains of individuals correlate with the gains of the group. In other words, I succeed if you succeed.
- Individual accountability: each participant is accountable for doing their share and learning the material.
- Equal participation: each student gets equal input and responsibility.
- Simultaneous interaction: multiple students interact in different ways during the instruction period (whether it's in a classroom or over the course of an online program).
To summarize, cooperative learning happens in structured, formal exercises tackled as a group. The exercises are designed and facilitated by instructors, who oversee the group’s progress. Collaborative learning is broader, and includes both this kind of formal learning as well as more informal practices:
*Note: The Informal - Formal axis in the matrix is inspired by Guy W. Wallace's Social Learning Continuum
Our upcoming cohort-based course on social learning has lots of advice on how to promote collaborative learning at your workplace. It includes topics like how to identify and remove roadblocks and get leadership buy-in, as well as different learning tactics and exercises to design an online course using collaborative learning.
Whether you sign up for our free course or not, here are a few key recommendations to help you start thinking about how to use cooperative learning at your workplace, using Kagan’s PIES principles mentioned above:
For cooperative learning to take place, you want to set up an environment where students are rewarded for working together instead of competing against each other.
When a teacher calls on students who raise their hand in a classroom, for example, it might not feel obvious, but that’s actually a form of competition. Students are competing with each other to provide the right answer and hoping the student called on gets it wrong so that they get another chance to answer.
A cooperative version of this could have students discuss the answer amongst themselves, come to a consensus, and provide a single response as a group.
In a cooperative learning environment, each participant is responsible for doing their share and learning the material. This approach gets rid of the “benchwarmers,” who show up to training sessions but don’t contribute or engage with the material in a meaningful way.
To promote individual accountability, instructors can set participation and interaction requirements to encourage learners to participate actively in the course. They can also create groups and allow group members to give review their teammates’ contributions.
Each learner should get equal input and responsibility in their learning experience. That means that discussions should be (more or less) balanced, along with participation in group projects and interaction with the other members of their cohort.
Inclusion and accessibility are also key. The group environment needs to feel safe so that everyone feels comfortable making mistakes without feeling judged. Research has shown that low psychological safety impedes our ability to absorb new information; so making learners feel safe enough to take risks is vital to successful cooperative learning.
Cooperative learning should allow for multiple interactions between different groups or individuals at once. If only two learners in a training session of thirty or more are interacting while the rest watch, the group as a whole has less to gain than if all thirty are working in groups.
The goal should be for all of the learners to be participating in each task, even if the course is asynchronous–they don’t have to be online at the same time, but there should be a set timeframe for participation.
Collaborative learning is a good general practice to promote throughout your organization. It’s an integral part of building an organization-wide learning culture and it can be used in all kinds of situations, from casual meetings to company wikis.
Cooperative learning is one of the many tools available in your collaborative learning toolkit. It’s most useful in formal learning contexts when you want employees to collaborate in structured group exercises.
Cooperative learning can help you make learning situations like live training events and onboarding exercises more engaging and help participants learn the material more effectively.
There are many different types of cooperative learning exercises that you can use both in-person and online. Here are a few of the most popular ones out there to help you get started:
Think-Pair-Share
Think-pair-share is a 3-step exercise. Learners start by reflecting on the material by themselves, then discuss their thoughts with a partner before finally sharing their insights with the whole class. Think-pair-share helps develop deeper and more interesting group discussions.
Round Robin
Round robin is a format where each participant takes a turn speaking, usually by going around the room and sharing their thoughts one after the other, building on what previous speakers have said. Round robins help make brainstorming sessions more structured and ensure that everyone gets an equal chance to participate.
Talking Chips
Each participant gets the same number of chips at the start of the discussion. Every time a learner speaks, they surrender a chip. Talking chips are another tool to make sure everyone participates equally and gets a chance to speak.
Peer Review
Participants pair up to give each other feedback on an assignment. Peer reviews help students develop critical thinking skills and improve the quality of the work they submit.
Jigsaw
In jigsaw exercises, each participant learns a piece of a larger topic and teaches their piece to others. When all of the students teach each other and share knowledge on their topic, they complete the jigsaw puzzle.
If you want more help setting up cooperative learning courses at your workplace, join our free course today:
Cassandra Naji | EdTech Marketer & Director of L&D
William Cronje | Instructional Designer & Program Manager at Eduflow Academy
