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Cooperative learning has many positive aspects in which students can work together to construct new knowledge by interacting with others. While there are a variety of different methods that can be implemented for students, it is important to use them consistently but not to overuse them. Similar to Ms. Ortiz's movie project about famous mathematicians, I have my students create a celebrity endorsed commercial in my Introduction to Business class. Students select a product, celebrity, and must include everyone in the video in some capacity. Additionally, they must create a storyboard and create a script before they film. Also, the rubric provides the structure they need as this is a relatively new experience that they are engaged in. The interaction between the students helps them construct that knowledge with the aid of others.
One component that jumped out to me was the "face-to-face, promotive interaction" through the use of "applauding efforts and success". This reminded me of a system we put in place during the football season with our players known as the Character Draft. Our four captains picked teammates for their Character Team. If any member of a Character Team had failing grades, received a detention, was late or missed practice, or several other negative points, that entire Character Team had a punishment at the end of practice. It was very eye-opening for players as they saw how their teammates truly felt about their character. While this was a focus on negative interactions, it helped promote synergy within the teams as they helped each other with grades or got on a teammate when their grades slipped or their behavior was inappropriate.
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You brought up a really good point about balancing the activities that you use in the classroom. For instructional differentiation, we need to vary the resources and approaches in a lesson. Your idea of the Celebrity Commercial is great because no one project or process will be the same! Not to mention, I am sure the kids really get a kick out of talking about celebrities in Business class. The activity seems to really help make a connection to their lives. I am interested to know what note you end the activity on, and what size groups you break the students into. I teach 8th graders and have to keep the groups fairly small for more behavior management.
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