Kagan Cooperative Learning Book Review

This is a publication produced in the United States but has universal application. It is based on the idea that cooperative learning produces the best results for learners and that it can be easily incorporated into any classroom or subject. The book offers a wealth of simple structures to enhance students’ performance and is directly applicable to examination performance, revision strategies and AfL. It has also been thoroughly researched over 25 years and is easy to include within your present teaching. It builds a cooperative learning ethos in the classroom, gives students an understanding of how they learn best and provides simple-to-implement techniques of students working with each other that ensures that dominant students do not dominate and quieter students flourish. It gives well articulated reasons why students will engage better, enjoy their learning and how using these techniques will not impinge on the valuable use of time to cover syllabus or curriculum. It is about making existing lessons more interactive, engaging and successful without having to think of the techniques to do so by yourself, from scratch.

It addresses cognitive development and reasoning strategies, building self-esteem, moral development and working with less able and special needs students. It also addresses peer-assessment and self-assessment as ways in which learning is reinforced and accelerated. For mixed ability classes it provides strategies through which students can work together to mutual benefit. By orientation it lends itself to different types of learning according to students’ preferred modes: kinesthetic, auditory, visual, etc. Chapter 6 presents the basic structures to match different educational goals. From section 6.25 to 6.38 these are presented in simple activity fashion that can be applied to any type of content. For example, in what is called RallyRobin the teacher poses a problem or question, students in pairs take turns in stating their responses or solutions and this can then be fed back to the class. There are over 200 of these simple techniques for incorporation into lessons. If you only want these ‘structures’ and more of them without the large volume of text on research and support in this volume being reviewed then buy Kagan S, Kagan M and Kagan L, Kagan Structures, San Clemente, California, Kagan Publishing, 2008. It provides more emphasis on practice.

I have seen some of these ‘structures’ being used in two Hampshire schools within RE lessons and by the teacher voted  ‘teacher of the year’ in the UK in 2008, who was an RE teacher. It was clear how these structures create more interactive and participatory class learning. Do not be put off, as I can be, by the American style of presentation and language. Once you make these structures your own you will be comfortable with using them, and so will your students. They lend themselves to the conceptual enquiry approach to learning we employ. The idea is to take useful ideas from this approach and put them into practice and evaluate their worth, not to throw out everything you already do.

Clive Erricker
County Inspector for RE