Introduction and Implementation of Cooperative Learning in the Heterogeneous Classroom: Middle School Teachers' Perspectives

Abstract

Schools have traditionally dealt with cultural and academic diversity through pullout and alternative programs. Recent attempts at inclusive education are grounded in the philosophy of changing the nature of the structure of schools and classrooms such that all students can be accommodated within the mainstream of school life. This qualitative study identifies and describes six middle school teachers' perspectives on the introduction and implementation of cooperative learning instructional adaptations in their classrooms. The teacher voices provide insight into the evolution of cooperative behavior among young adolescents, strategies that teachers used to encourage students to support one another, and the kinds of activities that facilitated the attainment of both academic and social goals to meet young adolescent needs. Teachers' voices, particularly their explanations of successes and failures, reinforce the need to modify the school experiences of young adolescents to meet the challenges posed by ever increasing diversity in their classrooms. Further, their stories emphasize the intervention of peers as critical to change for those young adolescents who resist cooperative learning.