Text Response for Chapters 1 and 2

The topic of cooperative learning stood out in chapter one of the Ivers and Barron text. Here, the authors discuss the difference between cooperative and traditional learning and also the benefits of cooperative learning over the traditional forms. Cooperative learning is a system that includes positive interdependence, individual accountability, group processing, peer responsibility, and heterogenous membership. In reading through the text, I saw that these aspects of cooperative learning are also those that support a happy, respectful classroom environment and encourage students to discover their own interests and find a love of learning in general. However, the tendency for "pitfalls" in a cooperative learning environment that are noted by researchers are true, and must be avoided in any way possible. No one in a class can truly succeed if either the more capable group members or the less capable group members are doing more work than anyone else in order for someone to receive a free ride. Individual accountability seems to be one of the most important aspects of cooperative learning in this respect, in that, each group member must complete their share of the work and cannot receive a complete grade or "easy A" just because the other members held up their own ends.

As for chapter two, I found the most helpful section to be the DDDE style of creating lesson plans. Every teacher seems to have, at some point, created the lesson plan that simply didn't work: whether the students were bored, the lesson didn't really "reach" the students, the lesson didn't fit the topic, or the students didn't really get an worthwhile understanding out of the lesson, they exist somewhere in everyone's file. The DDDE lesson plan allows for the teacher to basically test the lesson on themselves before subjecting their students to what could ultimately be all but a waste of time. By planning activities, determing structure, finding and creating the elements of the lessons, and reflecting on the desired possible results all before the students even see it, a lesson has a much better chance of being engaging and truly educational.