CHAPTER 18
Small groups in the collaborative classroom
‘Let’s go and swim and play and SEE things!’ he said happily. ‘We can’t,’ said the little red fish. ‘The big fish will eat us all.’ ‘But you can’t just lie there,’ said Swimmy. ‘We must THINK of something.’ Swimmy thought and thought and thought. Then suddenly he said, ‘I have it! We are going to swim all together like the biggest fish in the sea.’ He taught them to swim close together, each in his own place. And when they had learned to swim like one giant fish, he said, ’I’ll be the eye.’ And so they swam in the cool morning and in the midday sun and chased the big fish away.
(Swimmy, L Lionni, 1968)
In the book Swimmy, the small fish wanted to swim and play and see things but they were terrified that a big fish would attack them and eat them. By swimming together, they formed the shape of a very big fish and this scared off their predators. This chapter describes how early childhood classrooms and centres can be places where children shine, and where both children and teachers are happy learning. Young children’s learning is enhanced when the wellbeing of everyone is the core idea. In a collaborative learning community, children have an increased sense of wellbeing, inclusion and acceptance of difference. Literacy learning is enhanced when intellectual conflict, discussion of ideas and quality of thinking is encouraged. In order to work towards a collaborative classroom, teachers and children need a host of cooperative learning strategies to draw on so that all children, regardless of ability, have turns to speak and listen, so that small groups work effectively and whole class procedures are agreed on.
Cooperative learning in action
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The following is an example of how a preschool teacher worked to encourage bubbly preschoolers to build something together cooperatively. Sarah, the teacher, sees cooperative learning as essential for promoting a community of learners who play and learn together. The preschool is in a community