The three C's: constructivism, cooperative learning, and computers

This study examines cooperative learning in a technology-rich educational environment. It was hypothesized that students who had more experience working collaboratively would be more favorable to the activities in the study than their counterparts, and would demonstrate greater use of higher-level thinking skills than the others. Other issues were researched as well, including how subjects interacted with each other and the facilitator, whether subjects internalized the skills, and how much students felt ownership over their learning. Eight students from two fifth-grade classrooms at a suburban elementary school participated in this project. The sample selected was representative of their classroom populations with regard to gender, ethnicity, and academic ability. Qualitative results were acquired through interviews with each subject before and after the activities. Results indicated that past experience with cooperative learning did not predict subjects' favorability. Individual learning style and group cohesiveness, however, were stronger indicators of how much the subjects enjoyed the activities. The role of technology was not a significant influential factor, although subjects were clearly excited about using it in an academic environment. Future research could examine how groups function as a result of its members' personalities and learning styles, and how technology is used with those variable characteristics.