4.3 Cooperative Learning
Foot and Howe[25] describe cooperative learning as including three key parts: 1) Students work
in teams toward the attainment of some superordinate goal. 2) Labor is divided between team
members, such that each individual takes responsibility for a different sub-goal. 3) Individual
contributions are pooled into a composite product to ensure that the goal is reached.
Synthesizing the views of several theorists[38,64,62,57], Doolittle[18] notes that while there is not
perfect consensus on what constitutes cooperative learning, five factors are paramount: 1) Positive
interdependence, 2) Face-to-face interaction, 3) Individual accountability, 4) Small group &
interpersonal skills, 5) Group self-evaluation.