The use of cooperative procedures in teacher education and professional development

Abstract

Two aspects of teacher education for cooperative learning are the content taught and the processes used to teach the content. Of the two, the processes used may have the most powerful influences on the desired outcomes. One important theory related to the processes of learning is social interdependence theory. It posits that there are three ways to structure the learning processes in educational situations: cooperatively, competitively and individualistically. To structure cooperation among participants, five basic elements are needed: positive interdependence, individual accountability, promotive interaction, social skills and group processing. The large body of research on social interdependence indicates that cooperative, compared to competitive and individualistic learning, tends to promote (a) higher levels of achievement, retention and transfer of what is taught; (b) long-term implementation; (c) the internalisation of the required attitudes values and behaviour patterns; (d) the integration of the new procedures into teachers’ professional identity; and (e) membership in the community of practice. Each of these processes will be examined in this article.