Cooperative Learning in Swedish Classrooms: Engagement and Relationships as a Focus for Culturally Diverse Students

Abstract

The ongoing refugee crisis makes intercultural competence and culturally responsive education crucial issues in schools. At the same time, increased migration poses new challenges for social cohesion in countries around the world. How schools and classrooms can be fair and inclusive in terms of experiences and outcomes for migrant and refugee students is therefore a key question. This paper will explore the increase in migration of newly arrived students in Sweden, and how teachers in this country are catering for diverse students through cooperative learning. I explore cooperative learning as an inclusive and culturally responsive pedagogy that can be effectively used in schools to support all students and especially ‘refugee’ or newly arrived students. Using theory from cooperative learning and Stembridge (2020) as a theoretical framework, I particularly focus on analysis using two of Stembridge’s themes of Culturally Responsive Education: Engagement and Relationships to analyze Swedish primary school classroom observations and teacher interviews and find commonalities between these two themes and the key ideas in cooperative learning. This research is built on the premise that there is more need in education research for up to date observations into the classroom factors that support or hinder learning and the way that within-class groupings can support diversity and inclusivity. Cooperative learning allows participants to develop a commitment to fairness, social responsibility and a concern for others and this particularly caters for our diverse student populations.

Becoming a Socially Responsive Co-Learner: Primary School Pupils’ Practices of Face-to-Face Promotive Interaction in Cooperative Learning Groups

“…16. LLAb (puts his notebook on the desk again and opens it) MLAg stopped the group activity by recognising that LLAb was still working (1) and became aware that LLAb needed help by posing him questions relating to the task (5,11). While LLAb claimed that he understood the task (4,6), his audible exhaled sigh while positioning his head on his elbow (4) and erasing something (12) showed the opposite.…”

“…However, MLAb did not seem to have a readiness to help, which he showed by pausing and looking up (9). Thus, HLAb only offered help (11) after the teacher posed the task-related question (10).…”

“…Moreover, when pupils choose to avoid or blame rather than engage with another group member, they are showing their inability to build their co-learners' social competence [10]. Hence, more observational studies on CL practices are needed in classrooms worldwide if the increasingly diverse pupil population is to thrive [11]. It is important to focus on the lower grades of primary education due to their high exposure to social, economic and educational disadvantages and the earlier development of their capacity to successfully cooperate [11][12][13].…”

Perceptions of Student Teachers on Collaborative Relationships Between University and Inclusive Elementary Schools: A Case Study in Indonesia

“…One of the collaborative relationship goals of IESs is to ensure that STs have quality competencies (i.e., pedagogic, personal, professional, and social competencies) to teach at IESs (DeMatthews, 2020;Nishina et al, 2019;Santos et al, 2016). For this reason, this collaborative relationship between IESs and universities needs to be maintained, continuously and sustainably, so that IESs experience long-term impact and benefits (Ferguson-Patrick, 2020;Buchs et al, 2016). A collaborative relationship involves interaction between two or more people to achieve a common goal, and is based on trust, respect, and shared responsibility (Cook & Friend, 2010).…”

Advantages and Challenges of Cooperative Learning in Two Different Cultures

“…Research indicates that such activities not only provide learning opportunities that capture students' interest but also lead to enhancing their learning [16,17]. Making learning more meaningful, inspiring ownership and commitment to tasks [18], and developing a commitment to fairness and social responsibility [19] are other benefits that have been documented. Inquiry-based teaching and learning approaches seem to play an important role in developing the spirit of cooperation in the classroom [20].…”