Serbian teachers’ conceptions of different aspects of planning cooperative learning in the classroom

Abstract

Having in mind the significance of students’ mutual cooperation in the learning process, we conducted a study with the aim of understanding teachers’ perspectives on different aspects of planning cooperative learning in the classroom. The sample comprised 19 teachers employed at primary and secondary schools in Belgrade, Pančevo, and the municipality of Obrenovac. The data was collected using the interview technique and processed via thematic content analysis. The findings suggest that although teachers shaped cooperative learning by creating different assignments for students, they most often equated this form of learning with one-dimensional peer tutoring. Teachers’ contemplations about planning cooperative learning were shaped by numerous stereotypes and misconceptions, whose origin can be linked to deeply rooted elements of the traditional (instructional) method of class organization. We conclude that despite certain teachers’ initiatives to implement cooperative learning in our midst, there is a conspicuous lack of understanding of the intertwining dimensions of cooperative learning. Teachers require support that surpasses the usual forms of professional development and encompasses large-scale educational projects connecting schools and scientific institutions and offering teachers longitudinal facilitation in cooperative learning class preparation

Keywords

• cooperation in teaching and learning
• cooperative learning
• instructional planning
• teacher perspectives
• teacher misconceptions