COOPERATIVE learning for language or other lessons may be needed in support of online classes amid the Covid-19 pandemic, according to a Thomasian English language studies expert.
Prof. Marilu Madrunio, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Letters, said the “new normal” due to the Covid-19 outbreak would greatly affect educational institutions, forcing more innovative technology and teaching approaches.
“[Cooperative learning] encourage[s] reliance by a member on another, so that success may be achieved as students become accountable or responsible for each other’s learnings,” Madrunio wrote in her note titled “Post-Lockdown Language Classes: Quo Vadis?” published by The Antoninus Journal of the UST Graduate School.
“As an educational approach, it is not only germane to language classes but to many other disciplines as well. Its goal is to transform classroom activities not only into academic learning experiences but also to social experiences. Many favor this pedagogy as students become highly motivated to do their assigned tasks through critical and creative thinking while enhancing their social relationships with the group members,” she said.
The most common and popular cooperative learning activity is the “jigsaw,” which allows each member of a group tasked to do research work to study an aspect of the material and share it with other members.
“Only when all sections are properly put together will their research make sense,” she said.
At a time when physical distancing is a must, incorporating cooperative learning can create benefits for the learners, Madrunio said.
