Cooperative Learning Strategies and

Strategies for Active Participation

Based on the work of Aida Walqui (WestEd, QTEL) and Kate Kinsella (SFSU)

Vocabulary and Concept Development Strategies

page numbers in ( )

Four Corners (3)

Freyer Model (4)
List-Group-Label (6)
Quickwrite (13)
Think-Write-Pair-Share (18)

Whole Class Participation Strategies

Four Corners (3)

Novel Ideas Only (11)
Round Robin (14)
Structured Discussion (15)
Think-Write-Pair-Share (18)

Synthesis Strategies

Collaborative Definition (1)

Collaborative Description (1)
Collaborative Poster (2)
Mind Mirror (8)
Collaborative Description (Collaborative Definition) (QTEL)

Provide students with a prompt or set of prompts and ask them

each to complete a Quickwrite in response. (Choose prompts that
will be especially evocative and suggestive of underlying structures
or sequences.) Remind students that their goal is to describe the
give process or event so that anyone reading the Quickwrite “sees”
what the writer “sees.”

In their groups, have students share their descriptions in Round

Robin format and then reach consensus about any language from
the quickwrites to include in their collaborative description. Point
out that groups will need a recorder and that other group members
should serve as proofreaders.

Have students edit, but not rewrite, their individual quickwrite

descriptions to include any language from another person’s
Quickwrite that the group agreed to incorporate into the
collaborative description.

To assess each group’s collaborative skills and the role of individual

students, collect and compare a group’s quickwrites with its
collaborative description.

Scaffolding: bridging, contextualization, schema building,

metacognitive development.
Collaborative Poster (QTEL)

Students are given time to think individually about how to represent

on a collaborative poster the spirit of a text read by the team. In the
ensuing discussion in their small groups - at which point the group
must reach consensus on one (or more) image, quote and original
phrase - all should be primed with ideas to share and from which to
build their consensus. In small groups the students share their
ideas and reach a consensus.

As groups plan and create their poster, a rubric is essential to

ensure that they discuss the text, stay on task, ad use images to
highlight main ideas rather than merely to decorate the poster. Each
student in the team uses a single marker, of a different color from
any other team member’s, for his or her work on the poster, as well
as for signing the poster when the group agrees it is complete. The
first time students do a collaborative poster; they should have 30
minutes to complete it, but no more (do not compromise). After 30
minutes, post the posters as they are and have students assess
them. Team may revise their posters in their own time. Decrease
the time for work on subsequent poster assignments until students
work within a 20-minute timeframe.

Scaffolding: text re-presentation, bridging, schema building,

contextualization
Four Corners (QTEL)

Four Corners is a forced-choice activity that can be used in a variety

of subjects; it is especially useful when students are lethargic (for
example, after lunch) and need some purposeful physical
movement to reenergize themselves in order to refocus.

For this activity, the teacher thinks of four alternatives that

have more or less equal appeal to the students. The teacher
distributes 3 x 5 cards to all students and asks them to record on
the unlined side of the card the letter representing their choice of
the four alternatives after she or he reads them aloud. On the lined
side of the card, students write three reasons for their choice.

For example, in a world history class, a teacher may tell

students, “You look a bit tired today, so I am going to take out my
time machine and give you four choices so that you could go back
in time.” In this example, the choices are to go back to witness and
participate in four historical moments or times:

A. Deliberations in the French National Assembly prior to the

French Revolution
B. July 14, 1789, as the French people storm the Bastille
C. 1872, in Leeds, England, during the times of the First
Industrial Revolution
D. Robert Owens’s experiment in building a Utopian Socialist
society

After making their selection, students have three or four minutes

to jot down their reasons. The teacher ten asks them to assemble
in the corner of the room (labeled A, B, C, or D) that corresponds to
their choice. In each corner, students form groups, ideally of three
or four each, and exchange the reasons for their choice. After two
or three minutes of exchange, representative students share
reasons for their choices, students return to their seats, and the
class resumes.

Scaffolding: schema building, bridging

Freyer Model (QTEL)

The Frayer Model is a graphical organizer used for word analysis

and vocabulary building. This four-square model prompts students
to think about and describe the meaning of a word or concept by . .

* Defining the term, or describing its essential characteristics,

* Describing its essential characteristics or non-essential

characteristics,

* Providing examples of the idea, and

* Offering non-examples of the idea.

This strategy stresses understanding words within the larger

context of a reading selection by requiring students, first, to
analyze the items (definition and characteristics) and, second, to
synthesize/apply this information by thinking of examples and
non-examples.

Steps to the Frayer Model:

1. Explain the Frayer model graphical organizer to the class. Use a

common word to demonstrate the various components of the form.
Model the type and quality of desired answers when giving this
example.

2. Select a list of key concepts from a reading selection. Write this

list on the chalkboard and review it with the class before students
read the selection.

3. Divide the class into student pairs. Assign each pair one of the
key concepts and have them read the selection carefully to define
this concept. Have these groups complete the four-square
organizer for this concept.

4. Ask the student pairs to share their conclusions with the entire
class. Use these presentations to review the entire list of key
concepts.
 Essential Qualities Non-Essential Qualities

Polygon
Examples Non-Examples

Scaffolding: schema building, bridging

List-Group-Label (Just Read Now)

The List/Group/Label strategy offers a simple three-step process

for students to organize a vocabulary list from a reading selection.
This strategy stresses relationships between words and the critical
thinking skills required to recognize these relationships.

List/Group/Label challenges students to . . .

* List key words (especially unclear and/or technical terms) from

a reading selection.

* Group these words into logical categories based on shared

features.

* Label the categories with clear descriptive titles.

Steps to List/Group/Label:

1. Select a main topic or concept in a reading selection.

2. Have students list all words they think relate to this concept.
Write student responses on the chalkboard. Note: Since the concept
is presented without a specific context, many of the student
suggestions will not reflect the meaning of the concept in the
reading selection.

3. Divide the class into groups of 3 or 4 students. Have these

teams join together related terms from the larger list. Have the
teams provide "evidence" for this grouping—that is, require the
students to articulate the common features or properties of the
words collected in a group.

4. Ask the student groups to suggest a descriptive title or label

for the collections of related terms. These labels should reflect the
rationale behind collecting the terms in a group.
 5. Finally, have students read the text selection carefully and then
review both the general list of terms and their collections of related
terms. Students should eliminate terms or groups that do not match
the concept's meaning in the context of the selection. New terms
from the reading should be added, when appropriate. Terms should
be "sharpened" and the groupings and their labels revised, when
necessary.

Sort and Label

Geometry

Sort these words into different groups. Label each group. Be prepared to explain
your classification.

acute ray prism right rectangle angle

circle straight vertex cube trapezoid quadrilateral

Sort and Label

Equations

Sort these equations into different groups. Label each group. Be prepared to
explain your classification.

3x + 2 = 5 2y – 5x = 0 a+2=3

z – 4 = -2 _____ + 2y = 7 11 = x/2 – 4y

Scaffolding: schema building

Mind Mirror (QTEL)

The mind mirror activity asks students to synthesize and be creative

with their understandings of a given character. In an outline of a
character’s head, students depict how this character was feeling
and thinking at a specific time and what questions the character
was considering. To illustrate all these ideas students use (two)
relevant quotes from the text and create (two) symbols and (two)
drawings that are important in explaining the character’s
perspective. This activity provides a good opportunity to clarify the
difference between a drawing and a symbol.)

MLK Detail

Martin Luther King

Start by allowing 30 minutes for the first activity and then gradually
reduce the time to 15-20 minutes.

Scaffolding: text re-presentation, schema building,

contextualization
 Mind Mirror-- Militant Civil Rights Leaders (Text Re-presentation)
Select either Malcolm X, Stokely Carmichael, or the Black
Panthers. In an outline of the character’s head show how the
character was feeling and thinking about civil rights in the United
States during the 1950’s.

Needed:
• 2 relevant quotes from the text.
• Create 2 original phrases that summarize the character’s
thoughts and emotions.
• 2 symbols or 2 pictures that are important in explaining the
character’s perspective of civil rights.

© AAIS 2008
 Mind Mirror Scoring Rubric
Performance Outstanding
Indicators
Content  Poster contains 2
representative, evocative
quotes from the text.
 Poster contains 3
representative, evocative
images from the text.
 Poster contains 2
representative original
phrases
 As a whole, the poster
successfully communicates
the main ideas of the text.
Presentation
 Product is neat.
Collaboration  During planning of the
poster, each group
member is actively
involved and contributes
ideas for the images and
quotes.
 All group members
encourage peers and work
to incorporate all ideas
into the poster.
© AAIS 2008
Passing Needs Revision
 Poster contains only  Poster lacks quotes,
1 quote, or the original phrases,
quotes are related and/or images.
to the topic but not
representative.  Quotes/images are
not related to the
 Only 1 main ideas of the
representative text.
original phrase or
the original phrases  As a whole, the
do not accurately poster fails to
represent the communicate
character’s feelings anything related to
and experience the main ideas of
the text.
 Poster contains only
1 or 2 images, or the
images are related
to the topic but not
representative.
 As a whole, the
poster
communicates
something related
to the main ideas of
the text.
 Product is neat.  Product is not neat.
 During planning of  During planning of
the poster, each the poster, one or
group member pays more group
attention and members fail to pay
contributes. attention and
contribute.
 All group members
respond to each  One or more group
other’s ideas. members fail to
contribute to the
poster.
Novel Ideas Only (QTEL)

This is a fast way of eliciting the knowledge or intuitions that reside

in a group about a specific topic. Participants work in teams of four
brainstorming responses to a prompt that the teacher has posed. In
individual papers, each group member writes down the given
heading and prompt, and numbers the page from 1 to 8, as in the
example:

Novel Ideas Only

The Pearl

We think a novel called “The Pearl” could be about the following:

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

In this example, the teacher would explain that students will have
three minutes together to brainstorm possible contents of the
novel. As each if offered, a second student echoes the ideal and all
group members add it to their individuals lists. It is important that
all lists in a group be the same. Students who know more English
help those who know less English. It is better for a team to have
only one or two different items that are written in the best possible
way that all can agree on than to have one student write five items
while others have fewer or none.

When the three minutes have passed, the teacher asks all students
to draw a line under the last item in the group’s list. Then all the
teams stand, grouping themselves so that each team is distinct
from the others. The teacher calls on one student from a group to
read the team’s ideas. The student starts by reading the prompt,
“We think that a novel called The Pearl may be about…”, and then
adds whatever ideas the team has agreed on.
The rest of the class must pay attention because after the first
group has presented all of their ideas, the teacher asks them to sit
down and calls on a student from another team to add that team’s
“novel ideas only.” Ideas that have already been presented cannot
be repeated.

Scaffolding: schema building, bridging

Quickwrite (QTEL)

Quick-writes invite participants to give quick, gut-level reactions to

prompts presented by the teacher or facilitator. Since the goal of
this type of activity is to capture first impressions, memories, or
feelings, linguistic correctness is not important. The focus is on
emotional, immediate reactions.

Scaffolding: bridging, contextualization

Round Robin (QTEL)

In round robin sharing of ideas in a group, each participant has a

turn to offer his or her answer. Nobody should interrupt the person
who has the floor. Agreement, disagreement, or surprise can only
be communicated kinesthetically.
Nobody can pass. If a participant’s answer is similar to or the same
as prior ones, the person has to start by acknowledging peers who
had similar ideas:
“My idea is similar to Kyle’s idea. I also thought that…”

Round robin is a technique to ensure that all students have a voice

and that students who might otherwise monopolize a conversation
do not limit anyone else’s opportunities to participate.

Scaffolding: bridging, schema building

 Structured Academic Discussion Strategy: Instructional Steps
(Kinsella)

Clarify the task:

1. Write the discussion task/question and sentence starter(s) on the board before
beginning the structured discussion. Pose a clearly focused yet relatively open-ended
task (e.g., List 3 challenges faced by immigrants during the Great Waves that are still
faced by recent U.S. immigrants).

2. Model an appropriate answer. Provide students with a few (1-2) minutes of quiet time to
jot down ideas in preparation for the subsequent structured discussion. At this stage,
students are brainstorming so it is premature to require use of the sentence starter.

Structure Competent Participation:

3. After students have jotted down a few ideas, provide the structured sentence
starter(s) to frame their academic responses. Direct them to select one idea and
rewrite it using the sentence starter. Share with them your modeled response and
clarify the meaning of any target lesson vocabulary. Point out the correct grammatical
completion of the sentence (e.g., … This policy is necessary
in order to __ + verb: base form = assist, construct, etc.)

4. As students write, walk around to offer support where needed and monitor responses.
Nominate one or two students to “jump-start” the discussion at your signal by stating
“I am nominating you to share this response at the beginning of our discussion.”

5. Tell students to read their answer a few times in preparation for sharing with a partner.
Direct students to share their favorite idea with their partner as a means of receiving
feedback and preparing for the subsequent unified class discussion. Build in
accountability for listening by asking them to add their partner’s idea to their own
brainstorming list.

Structure Active Listening:

6. “Jump-start” the discussion with one or two “nominated volunteer” responses, then
randomly call on a few more students before opening the discussion up to authentic
volunteers. Let students know that at the end of the formal structured debriefing of
ideas, you will invite voluntary contributions from individuals who had not already
shared.

7. Require that students respond using a public voice more suitable to sharing ideas in a
public forum, rather than a private voice more appropriate for a personal conversation.

8. Assign an active listening and note-taking task (e.g., jotting down 2 interesting
examples).
9. Require that students acknowledge similarities/differences in their responses using
appropriate language for classroom discussion (e.g., My idea builds upon __’s idea). Pre-
teach one or two phrases and remind students to listen actively to others’ ideas and
acknowledge when necessary.

Synthesize Contributions and Establish Lesson Connections:

10. Record these ideas on the board for subsequent review, and/or have students jot down
two of the more interesting contributions they heard during the discussion.

11. Complete the structured discussion process by validating participation, synthesizing

ideas and establishing a clear connection to the subsequent lesson task or stage.
 Structured Academic Discussion Topic:

 Discussion Task:

Brainstorming list:

1.

2.

3.

 Select one idea from your list and write it in a complete sentence using the
starter.

Sentence starter:

Teacher’s model response using the starter:

My response:

 Active listening & note-taking task:

1.

2.
Think-Write-Pair-Share (Kinsella)

Students listen while the teacher poses a question or a task.

Students are given quiet time to first reflect upon the question
individually, then jot down a response. The response can be a
bulleted list.

Students are then cued to pair with a neighbor and discuss their
responses, noting similarities and differences. Students encourage
their partners to clarify and justify responses using appropriate
language strategies (e.g., How did you decide that?; In other words,
you think that…). It is often helpful to structure the roles (first
speaker, first listener) and designate the time frames (e.g. "First
speakers, you have 90 seconds to share your answers with your
partner …").

After rehearsing responses with a partner, students are invited to

share with the class.

Scaffolding: bridging, schema building