Active learning is about taking hold of your learning. It takes time, effort and motivation, but by the end of it you will have a vast understanding of everything you have learned.

Cooperative learning comes with many pros and cons. It is beneficial to work with others as they may have approached a topic differently from you. This means new information is presented to you and your understanding of the topic has been expanded. Not only can you learn from others, but by presenting your own knowledge you will further retain the information for future use. By repeating your notes or thoughts it will further ingrain into your brain and you will be able to recall it faster with regular study. Cooperative learning also allows you to develop team working skills and communication skills, as well as other attributes such as confidence.

The potential downsides to cooperative working is that it is very easy to be distracted when working with others. It is very easy to go off topic, especially if you are working with a friend. When working in a group, students need to try and keep on task and not veer from the subject matter. On the other end of the scale, you may not always get along with your partner or others in your group. Disagreements can lead to a split in a group which can heavily effect learning. This will create a tense atmosphere and can make people less likely to share their thoughts as they are scared to create conflict.

In conclusion, I think cooperative learning does have it’s benefits, but students need to remember to be open-minded in their approach and be considerate of others. Only then will cooperative learning be beneficial.