Lee, Christine Kim-eng

The challenge of teaching science is to teach in a way that enables pupils to learn science concepts while acquiring process skills and positive scientific attitudes. One of the effective ways of accomplishing these objectives is through involving pupils in hands-on activities in the context of cooperative learning. The use of cooperative learning presents immense practical challenges to teachers. This paper is based on classroom observations of science teaching where teachers reported that they were using some form of cooperative learning. These classroom observations were part of a larger study which examined primary classroom practices in Singapore. Our classroom observations reveal that while group work is being carried out in Science lessons, few of the teachers have structured group learning according to the principles of cooperative learning. A challenge faced by teachers is the design of group tasks that will require higher-order thinking and promote real collaboration among group members.

A challenge that schools face in the new millennium is to create in our classrooms learning communities where pupils are learning, exploring, talking and communicating within a positive classroom culture. Creating such classrooms requires a careful look at how teachers attempt to construct the learning environment. This paper reports on what teachers actually do in their classrooms, with special focus on how they use groupwork in their lessons. It is part of a wider study of classroom organization in Singapore primary schools. Approximately seventy classroom observations of English, Math, Science and Social Studies lessons were gathered. Based on these observations, vignettes of what took place were constructed. The vignettes mirror what the teachers did within the walls of the classroom and reflect their interpretation and personal methods of using groupwork or cooperative learning. The paper will report some of our data on interesting practices that were observed. These reflect how cooperative learning techniques were shaped by teachers, surprising moves and faltering implementation. The teachers used groupwork in different ways and were at different stages of comfort using its techniques. The paper will report on personal adaptations by teachers whose years of experience, beliefs and practical knowledge influenced how they planned and used groupwork. The study is a qualitative one. This paper will consist of the stories of lessons that featured interesting practices. Through this experience, we now have a better understanding of the process of implementation of the groupwork method in our schools.