An Investigative Study of How Cooperative Learning Can Benefit High-Achieving Students

Abstract

This paper was written to represent the findings of the benefits of cooperative learning for high achieving students. During the 1990's there was a major push for supplementing the curriculum with different learning styles. Cooperative learning is one popular example that has been researched a lot to find effectiveness of lesson delivery and benefits for students. Slavin and Johnson and Johnson are among the many advocated for believing that cooperative learning is beneficial in many ways for student development, including high achieving students. The researcher found over and over that what the advocates wrote was substantiated in detail in the research site, by teacher and student responses. Teachers felt that there was a substantial benefit socially and academically when cooperative groups were set up and used correctly and consistently. Students that were surveyed preferred working in cooperative groups to doing independent work. They liked working with peers and helping each other learn. Cooperative learning helps high achieving students to build these life long skills that are essential to survive as a productive member of society.