Engagement Strategy (Co-operative Learning)

Our engagement strategy makes extensive use of Kagan Cooperative Learning Principles and ​Structures; a set of principles and teaching and learning techniques pioneered by renowned ​psychologist Dr. Spencer Kagan in America. The emphasis of this engagement strategy is to ensure: ​Positive Interdependence, Individual Accountability, Equal Participation and Simultaneous ​Interaction (PIES). A set of content free structures have been devised to ensure that these principles ​are met. Pupils are divided into small heterogeneous groups and they work collaboratively towards a ​common goal. The structures eliminate the typical classroom scenario of ‘hogs and logs’ whereby few ​children (the hogs) typically answer all of the questions allowing the rest of the class (the logs) to be ​passive.

Kagan structures ensure all children are active participants in the learning and that everyone is held ​accountable. It encourages teachers to ‘call on all’ rather then ‘calling on one’, as in a typical ​classroom. The structures also enable the children to develop their interpersonal skills through active ​listening, collaboration and presenting. They are effective because every pupil shares in the ​successes of the group, having all played their part in the set task. Alongside the use of structures in ​everyday teaching, the staff make use of Kagan materials to support social interaction through Class ​and Team Building games and activities.

Engagement Strategy (Co-operative Learning)

Our engagement strategy makes extensive use of Kagan Cooperative Learning Principles and ​Structures; a set of principles and teaching and learning techniques pioneered by renowned ​psychologist Dr. Spencer Kagan in America. The emphasis of this engagement strategy is to ensure: ​Positive Interdependence, Individual Accountability, Equal Participation and Simultaneous ​Interaction (PIES). A set of content free structures have been devised to ensure that these principles ​are met. Pupils are divided into small heterogeneous groups and they work collaboratively towards a ​common goal. The structures eliminate the typical classroom scenario of ‘hogs and logs’ whereby few ​children (the hogs) typically answer all of the questions allowing the rest of the class (the logs) to be ​passive.

Kagan structures ensure all children are active participants in the learning and that everyone is held ​accountable. It encourages teachers to ‘call on all’ rather then ‘calling on one’, as in a typical ​classroom. The structures also enable the children to develop their interpersonal skills through active ​listening, collaboration and presenting. They are effective because every pupil shares in the ​successes of the group, having all played their part in the set task. Alongside the use of structures in ​everyday teaching, the staff make use of Kagan materials to support social interaction through Class ​and Team Building games and activities.

Lessons at St Luke’s make regular use of Kagan structures to ensure the principles of PIEs are ​met. Classrooms are organised so that the children sit in mixed ability teams of four (where ​possible). Each team member has a number and this number can be used to call on for a ​response or to begin an activity or to take on a specific role within an activity. Within the team, ​pupils have a ‘shoulder partner’ and a ‘face partner’ and these pairings are used when pupils are ​asked to engage in paired activities.

The organisation of the teams in numbers ensures that children of a similar ability share the ​same number across the class. Face partners are more similar in ability and shoulder partners ​are more different in ability. Partners regularly make use of the structure Rally Coach to support ​each other in their learning. Clear requirements of the way structures and teams operate make ​co-operative group work run smoothly in class. Classes also make good use of structures which ​require pupils to stand and/or move around the class to increase oxygen flow to the brain.