Cooperative Learning Strategies
Module Two

Welcome to Module 2 of this course where you will learn how to use a cooperative strategy called Carousel. Before you proceed with this month's lesson, please take time to reflect on your experience with last module's activity and email Jerry Peters at gpeters@twcny.rr.com with a brief description of the activity you did with your students, how it went, and any questions you need answered. You might want to attach an electronic copy of the activity to the email.

Carousel gets its name from the physical movements of the groups as they engage in the collaborative activity. Groups process around in a loop that takes them to each of the different "stations" in the loop one or more times depending on the design of the activity. Content topics that are ideal for a carousel activity are those which can be easily separated into several categories. Examples of such topics are: the seasons of the year, planets of the solar system, characteristics of the various geometric figures (triangles, quadrilaterals, etc.), features of a particular state or country (geography, climate, products, etc.), the different branches of government, parts of speech, significant events in history. Each station in the loop will contain one of the categories of the larger topic.

When designing a carousel activity, first break your larger topic into the smaller categories that will become the headings for the stations in the loop. Place these headings on newsprint, chalkboards, etc., in a loop around the room and provide an appropriate instrument for recording responses at each station. It is advisable to have enough stations so there will be from three to five students in each group. More stations than groups of students will work fine.

Next, assign your students to groups with each group starting at a different station, and specify the direction of motion around the loop. Explain what you want them to do at each station then set them in motion. You act a timekeeper, signaling when to move to the next station.

When all or most of the relevant content has been posted at each station, or if the students have exhausted their ability to stay focused on the task, the activity can be stopped. The lists at the stations can now be used for whole class discussion or another appropriate activity that shapes the students' work by correcting anything that is not correct and ties the smaller pieces to the main topic of the unit or lesson.

Here is an example of how a carousel might be used in a geometry unit on the characteristics and properties of quadrilaterals. The stations contain the following headings: parallelogram, rectangle, square, rhombus, trapezoid, isosceles trapezoid. Each group starts at one of the stations and is directed to write one (new) thing they know is true about the quadrilateral at their station and then move to the next station as soon as the group there has moved on. The groups move around the loop fairly quickly at first, but slow down as more and more facts are added to each station. Students can also be instructed to place a question mark in front of any statement their group thinks is incorrectly posted for a particular quadrilateral. Groups can "pass" if they cannot think of anything to add in a reasonable time. When it is apparent that most of the class's knowledge has been posted, stop the activity and quickly process out their work with the whole class. This could take the form of the class examining each station's sheet for correctness (decide if the items marked with question marks are correct) and completeness (is there anything else we can add to the list?). Having each student list one thing he/she thought was the most important feature of each quadrilateral (leave the lists visible) would provide closure for the lesson.

In a science class you might use this carousel. The stations are each labeled with the name of one of the planets in our solar system. Each group is assigned a station and told to record everything they know about that planet while the background music is playing. The teacher starts the music and lets it play for one or two minutes. When it stops, the groups move in the specified direction to the next station where they continue the list at that station when the music starts. Continue the process until each group has visited each station. Then have them continue around the loop and visit each station one more time (one minute per station is probably enough time) to read what was added since they were there. A short whole class discussion can now shape the knowledge and tie it to the main topic.

With experience and imagination, carousels can be modified in many ways to fit individual classrooms and specific content. The main features that need to remain constant in order to maximize student learning are:

1. the categories used are relevant to the objectives of the class or unit

2. students are required to brainstorm collaboratively using the categories selected for the activity

3. there is a reflective activity at the end that shapes the knowledge and ties the smaller pieces to the larger topic

Carousels can provide valuable student centered learning experiences when used in a number of ways. The activity can be used at the beginning of a lesson or unit to motivate students and activate their prior knowledge. An added benefit here is the opportunity for the teacher to determine what the learners already know about the upcoming topic or unit. If used to launch a unit, the same categories could be used for another carousel at the end of the unit to tie all the categories to the main objectives of the unit. Carousel is also an effective way to review for a test where the content lends itself to being categorized.

Activity

Design and use a Carousel with one of your classes. Also continue thinking about what you might do or use for your Product for the Course as described in Module 1. It would be advisable to save copies of the activities you do and perhaps some samples of the work your students produced during the activities. You may find them valuable in producing your final product.