Jeremy Blake Post 3

I have found cooperative learning to be the most difficult thing classroom management wise. Whether it is for a simple reading activity or a class project, almost every exercise that requires students to group together results in loud talking about everything but social studies. I try to be helpful for any one with questions, but they never seem to have questions because they are not working on their assigned reading or project. I knew that cooperative learning required a different classroom management style, but I fear that the students are not used to this and I spend most of the class quieting them and telling them to return to work instead of actually helping them learn. The students have lookouts in their group who make a noise or say something whenever I am in earshot to alert others to stop talking and look at their books. Last week was a very long week, as I spent as much time redirecting students as I did teaching them.