Learning Together in the Multicultural Classroom

by Elizabeth Coelho

Overview

How many students should be in a group? How long should a group stay together? How can groups be managed so that real learning happens? How can noise be controlled? How can group work improve race relations?

In Learning Together in the Multicultural Classroom, Elizabeth Coelho, one of North America's best-known speakers on co-operative learning, answers all these questions as well as many, many more. Drawing on her vast experience of theory and research, not only in co-operative learning but also in language across the curriculum and second language acquisition, she provides her readers with a wealth of practical ideas for making groupwork work in a multicultural context.

Audience: All teachers involved in striving to establish successful and harmonious multicultural learning environments.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780887510649
Publisher:	Pippin Publishing
Publication date:	10/03/2001
Series:	Pippin Teacher's Library Series , #17
Pages:	112
Product dimensions:	5.99(w) x 8.95(h) x 0.29(d)

About the Author

Elizabeth Coelho has had a long and distinguished career focused on English language learners, immigrant education, and effective instruction in linguistically and culturally diverse schools. A former district coordinator for English as a Second Language in the Toronto District School Board, Elizabeth has also worked on policy and resource development related to English language learners for the Ontario Ministry of Education, as well as with educators in school districts and universities across North America. Elizabeth also taught at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto, helping to prepare new teachers for the multilingual and multicultural reality of today's schools. A popular presenter at national and international conferences, Elizabeth has recently been working with educators in Spain, where immigration is having a strong impact on schools. The author of several professional articles and resource books for teachers, including Adding English, Learning Together in the Multicultural Classroom and Teaching and Learning in Multicultural Schools: An Integrated Approach, Elizabeth has also written the popular Jigsaw and Jigsaw Plus.

Table of Contents

Foreword

A Rationale for Change
Theoretical Foundations

The Myth of Healthy Competition

The Competitive Ethic in Society
The Competitive Ethic in the Classroom
Conclusion

The Truth about Cooperation

Minority Achievement in Cooperative Classrooms
Student to Student: The Power of the Study Group
Affective Development in Cooperative Classrooms
Race Relations in Cooperative Classrooms
Conclusion

Language and Learning

Teacher Talk and Student Talk
The Problem of Implementation
Cooperative Learning: Making Groupwork Work
Cooperative Learning and the Language Learner




Student Interaction in the Cooperative Classroom
Cooperative Learning and the Communicative Approach
Language through Content
Integrating ESL Students into Mainstream Classrooms
Conclusion

Key Components of Cooperative Classrooms

Group Formation and Management
Task Design
The Social Component
Exploratory Talk
Conclusion

Beginning Groupwork

Forming Groups
Breaking the Ice
Developing Oral Strategies through Group Interaction
Conclusion

Three Kinds of Group Task

Group Practice and Coaching
Jigsaw
Cooperative Projects
Conclusion

Afterword

Appendixes

Resources and References

Resources for Teachers
References