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The Teacher’s Role in Implementing Cooperative Learning in the Classroom pp 9–37Cite as

Social Interdependence Theory and Cooperative Learning: The Teacher's Role

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Part of the Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning book series (CULS,volume 8)

Teachers who wish to use cooperative learning effectively will wish to base their classroom practices on theory validated by research. To do so, they must first understand the nature of social interdependence (that is, cooperative, competitive, and individualistic efforts). Second, teachers need to understand that social interdependence theory is validated by hundreds of research studies indicating that cooperation, compared to competitive and individualistic efforts, tends to result in greater achievement, more positive relationships, and greater psychological health. Third, teachers need to understand the five basic elements that make cooperation work: positive interdependence, individual accountability, promotive interaction, appropriate use of social skills, and group processing. Finally, teachers need to understand the flexibility and many faces of cooperative learning, such as formal cooperative learning, informal cooperative learning, and cooperative base groups.

Keywords

  • Social Skill
  • Group Processing
  • Cooperative Learning
  • Social Dilemma
  • Negative Interdependence

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Minnesota, Minnesota

    David W. Johnson & Roger T. Johnson

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  1. David W. Johnson
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  2. Roger T. Johnson
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Queensland, Qld 4072, Brisbane, Australia

    Associate Professor Robyn M. Gillies & Professor Adrian F. Ashman & 

  2. Vrije University, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, Netherlands

    Professor Jan Terwel

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Johnson, D.W., Johnson, R.T. (2008). Social Interdependence Theory and Cooperative Learning: The Teacher's Role. In: Gillies, R.M., Ashman, A.F., Terwel, J. (eds) The Teacher’s Role in Implementing Cooperative Learning in the Classroom. Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning, vol 8. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-70892-8_1

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