Headteacher: Mrs M Spencer

The Dales Primary School

Snowden Way

Hull

HU7 5DS

Tel: 01482 835325

Fax: 01482 870076

Started programme September 2002

Facilitator: Louise Dodsworth

The teachers in school have adopted a number of Co-operative Learning strategies. Throughout the school teachers have reflected on the benifits of using Co-operative Learning across the curriculum. The children have developed and improved their speaking and listening skills, have a clear idea of what is meant by 'active listening' and can work successfully in pairs and small groups.

The most effective Co-operative Learning strategies used in the everyday teaching of the curriculum at the Dales Primary School include, Active Listening, Think, Pair, Share, The Doughnut, Numbered Heads and team spelling and tables practice.

Active Listening has proved to be an effective and positive way to gain children's attention. Children across the school have also commented on how Active Listening is an important part of school life. There is an agreed signal across both key stages and teachers have commented on how this enables a change in teaching activities to occur quickly and quietly. Since the introduction of Think ,Pair, Share children as young as year one are able to find a working partner quickly and have developed an ability to listen to each other's ideas. Children higher up the school are also able to share these ideas with the rest of the group. Think, Pair, Share has been a useful strategy as far up the school as year six, where it has proved to be a  quick way to begin mental maths sessions and generally across the school as a good tool for assessing children's understanding of topics previously covered.

Numbered heads has been built into various science experiments in school in order to enhance a safe a busy learning environment. Teachers have observed children develop in confidence and the ability to discuss their learning (rather than copying the answers of others) by working collaboratively in a small group situation.

In the next academic year, teachers hope to build on the co-operative learning strategies that children have experienced so far. Such strategies will include Round Robin, twos to fours and the Grid.

Updated 10 Dec 2003