Cooperative Thinking: The Teamwork Strategy

The Cooperative Thinking Strategies are a group of strategies students can use to think and work productively together. These instructional programs provide ways to accommodate a diversity of learners in inclusive classrooms and enable students to learn complex higher-order thinking skills that they can use to work together harmoniously with others in school, leisure, family, community, and work setting.
Teamwork Strategy Guidebook cover image

 

The Teamwork Strategy provides a framework for organizing and completing tasks in small groups. Students analyze an assignment and divide it into specific tasks, equitably assign those tasks to individuals, offer and request help to complete the individual jobs, ask for and give feedback to other group members, assemble the individual jobs into one product, and evaluate the process used to complete the project and assess the interpersonal skills of group members.

In field tests, students in experimental classes increased their use of cooperative skills dramatically, from one-quarter to one-third of identified skills to three-quarters of the skills. Some groups chose not to use the strategy for some tasks. When students used the strategy, cooperative skill performance was close to 100 percent.

---

This product is available through Edge Enterprises, Inc.

Please note that professional development, coaching, and infrastructure support are essential components to effective implementation of SIM instructional tools and interventions. It is highly recommended that you work with a SIM professional developer. See the SIM Event list for sessions or email simpd@ku.edu to learn more.

---

Author(s): D. Sue Vernon, Donald D. Deshler, and Jean B. Schumaker

Publication Info: Edge Enterprises, Inc.

Resources:

An accessible version of the documents on this site will be made available upon request. Please contact the KU CRL Professional Development Research Institute, at simpd@ku.eduto request the document be made available in an accessible format.