Belinda Charlene Surya (Group A)

Case 1

i) The intervention- Cooperative Work groups.
Brinton, Fujiki, Montague & Hanton (2000) defined cooperative learning as “a variety of teaching methods in which students work in small groups to help one another learn academic content.” (as cited in Slavin, 1995, p. 2). Brinton et al. also noted that cooperative learning strategies provide positive learning experiences for students with language problems as they encourage grouping diverse students together (as cited in Putnam, 1998). They also noted that students who work in cooperative groups tend to be better accepted by their peers (as cited in Slavin, 1995). Studies have shown that cooperative learning methods contributed in enhancing student motivation, self-esteem, cognitive development and academic achievements. (Brinton et al., 2000, as reviewed in Johnson and Johnson, 1994; Slavin, 1995).
The cooperative groups in the research were structured such that they have a group goal, individual accountability and equal opportunity for all participants. The participants of the research involved children with language impairment as well as typically developing children. The child with language impairment would interact with two different partners for different tasks. In groups of three, the child with language impairment always seated in between the two partners. The tasks assigned were those commonly done in school and highly visual with few language demands.

ii) Its effectiveness
In the research, a Teacher Behavioral Rating Scale was used to assess the social behavior of typically developing children. Annie fell under 4 dimensions; withdrawn behavior for displaying reticence when interacting with others, anxious/distractible behavior for her speech difficulty, hostile/aggressive behavior for her aggressive/reactive behavior of biting her friends and overt victimization as she was made fun of by her peers for her facial deformities.
I identified two children whom I felt were the most similar to Annie’s situation in the research study. They were categorized under the high aggressive and withdrawn social behaviours. The two children presented a challenge in the group and displayed behaviours which might cause them to be rejected by their peers. However, each child was found to be able to participate in at least one group where half of their scans were rated as good. I believe that Annie’s social and behavioral problems as described are not as bad as the two children in the research.
The research findings showed that they were not always successful at structuring groups where children worked cooperatively on task. Further, their finding also confirmed that “simply placing children together in social contexts will not ensure that they will interact. (Brinton et al, 2000 as cited in Nelson, 1998, p. 170.)

iii) My personal evaluation on how Annie will benefit from this intervention
I believe that Annie’s participation in cooperative work groups would help her in acquiring the skills to handle specific social-language tasks such as entering ongoing interactions, negotiating, resolving conflicts and making joint decisions as these factors could be seen and experienced during cooperative learning tasks. Having group goal, individual accountability and equal opportunity of all participants in cooperative group will help Annie to be exposed to different social situations and self realization on her roles and function in group situations. Therefore I believe that by giving assignments which requires Annie to work in cooperative work groups with her peers in class, it would help to build up her social skills. It also creates opportunity for Annie and her friends to be able to interact and work together. As they continue to collaborate and interact, Annie and her friends can build friendships. Her friends would then be looking past her face deformities and be more sensitive to her as they form bonds.
When Annie feels accepted by her friends and have gained better social skills and realization to her social functioning in class, she would have developed better self-esteem. This is so as she would be playing various roles as she embarks on new tasks with new partners. According to Brinton et al., (2000), cooperative teaching approaches have the potential to help children with learning differences as they group children with different ability levels to work together. By collaborating in group works, Annie and her peers would also be exchanging ideas, learn to accept other’s opinions and make joint decisions. This approach also serves as an intervention in helping Annie to perform better socially as her aggressive and withdrawn behavior could lead to later social difficulties in her life.

iv) Suggestions/ adjustments to cater to the needs Annie and to facilitate integration of the intervention activity into the classroom.
The research suggested that care and monitoring in structuring the group would be helpful as Annie would face some risk in facing peer rejection. It would be better to group Annie with children who have the skills to deal assertively but not aggressively with hostile behavior. Another suggestion was to not view collaboration as a social goal for Annie. Other specific intervention focused on social-language skill can be considered to help Annie learn new ways to interact with her friends.
I would suggest that Annie is to work with two consistent partners instead of the constant rotation in the group members per assignment. This way, it would be easier for her to build and retain friendship as she would feel comfortable and less anxious as she would be working with the same partner who would know her better too. After she has developed the necessary skills and better self-esteem, she can then be exposed to different peers in the classroom. I would also develop activities which are relevant and of interest to the class.

Reference:
Brinton, B., Fujiki, M., Montague, E. & Hanton, J. (2000, July). Children with Language Impairment in Cooperative Work Groups: A Pilot Study. Language, Speech and Hearing Services in Schools, 31, 252-264. Retrieved September 5, 2009 from http://web.ebscohost.com.libwww3.np.edu.sg/ehost/pdf?vid=27&hid=104&sid=08a17cf9-f098-404a-ae4e-10175d3f5419%40sessionmgr10