If you have never heard of cooperative learning, then you may not know about this very effective and interesting teaching technique. This type of teaching allows for teachers and educators at all age levels to teach his or her curriculum in very small groups so that the students can get more individualized help and instruction.

Cooperative learning is not just for toddlers or preschoolers. While it is very effective for this age group, this teaching style works for almost any setting where a person is learning. This technique can be used to help those with special needs or those with disabilities and can even be used for students at the college level. In fact, even those learning a new skill or in training for work can benefit from a cooperative learning setting.

How does cooperative learning work? This learning and teaching style is not just teacher led. When this is used in the classroom environment, every single student is important. Everyone is encouraged and oftentimes, required to make contributions to the class. Each person is given a unique job or responsibility to help “teach” and contribute their opinions and knowledge to the class.

There are many benefits of a cooperative learning environment. Students are given ideas and are able to work together to build their skills while interacting with others. This may be extremely helpful to many people who learn best by being around and interacting with other students. Students that learn in this type of setting often report that they feel that they have learned more because they are helping to lead the class. They feel that they have more control and as a result, are more interested in their education. Cooperative learning is a very popular learning and education technique that you can incorporate in your classroom at any age level.