Promoting Cooperative Learning for Preservice Teachers Through Information Technology

Abstract

Cooperative learning means students working together to accomplish shared learning goals and to maximize their own and their group members’ achievements (Johnson & Johnson, 1999), and stresses the importance of shared dialogue and inquiry (Littleton & Hakkinen, 1999). The concept of cooperative learning has been around for a long time. Sometimes cooperative and collaborative learning are used interchangeably, but Lehtinen, Hakkarainen, Lipponen, Rahikainen, and Muukkonen (2007) have suggested that cooperative work involves dividing work among the team members, whilst collaborative work means all the team members tackle the problems together in a coordinated effort. In a traditional setting, cooperative learning occurs when there is human interaction, but cooperative learning can transcend cooperation from someone that you know to virtually everyone in the world if they have a Web-connected computer. Does information technology foster or stifle cooperative learning?