This unit presents a lot of ways to use CL in a variety of learning situations. What do all of these techniques and variations have in common? Despite their differences, how are they all still examples of CL?

Reflective Break

On your own or with others, come up with a new technique or variation that you would like to try with your students.

Sample Response

I’d like to try a technique I’d call Cooperative Anthropology. I teach a very diverse group of students, and we all are interested in one another. Cooperative Anthropology would have these steps.

Step 1. Students form diverse groups of four. They choose a group name representing some location in the world, or even in the universe.

Step 2. The group facilitator asks each student to answer the question, “What do we all have in common?” The reporter writes down the responses.

Step 3.  Keep going around collecting answers for three or four rounds.

Step 4. Students answer the question, “What differences do we bring to our group that enrich our group and our class?” The reporter writes down the responses. If any student is uncomfortable speaking about their own differences they can pass or mention a positive difference that another student brings to the group.

Step 5.  Keep going around collecting answers for three or four rounds.

Step 6. Each group selects a field anthropologist to travel to other locations to learn from others.

Step 7. The field anthropologists report their findings to the whole class.

Step 8. We have a whole class activity that celebrates our contributions.