Reflective Break

Sometimes, understanding can increase when we consider ideas in different contexts. For the eight types of positive interdependence discussed above, let us look at them not in education, but in different contexts. Make up a story using each eight of the types of positive interdependence in your story.

 

Sample Response

A charity is organizing an event to help needy, isolated seniors. The Goal is that the seniors will be healthier, will feel more connected to other people, and will have a good time.

Some of the Roles played by the people at the charity include fundraiser, contactor (who contacts the seniors to attend the event), communications specialist (who makes a poster for the event and promotes the event on social media), volunteer coordinator (who finds volunteers to help at the event and prepares the volunteers for their efforts), and program coordinator (who arranges the refreshments, entertainment, and logistics).

An External Challenge will be overcoming the isolation many seniors feel, which makes it difficult for them to interact with others and to take part in activities such as exercise and plant-based nutrition classes.

Resources include information such as what songs seniors enjoy singing and recipes for the healthy, green foods the seniors enjoy. Materials resources include the sound system for the event.

Fantasy might involve imagining these seniors organizing similar events for other seniors, being leaders in empowering seniors to do more in their communities, including participating in intergenerational activities.

Identity could involve feeling proud of the neighborhood in which they live. For instance, seniors could take part in heritage tours that teach about the history of their neighborhood.

Many possibilities come to mind for Reward/Celebration positive interdependence, including games as part of the entertainment. Lots of prizes could mean that everyone can win a prize. The entire event could be a celebration of the potential of community to help everyone be healthier, happier, and more connected.

How to promote Environment positive interdependence partly depends on the culture of the participants at the event. Lots of the activities, such as singing, exercise, and games could involve people sitting and standing together. Of course, how close students can comfortably sit may depend on factors such as their age and culture.

 

Comprehension Check

Match the way of encouraging positive interdependence with the example.

1.     Goal

2.     Role

3.     External Challenge

4.     Resource

5.     Fantasy

6.     Identity

7.     Reward/Celebration

8.     Environment

 

a.      In a group of four, students sit close to each other so that they can easily see what each other is doing, and they can hear each other easily.

b.     In a group of four, for today’s project, one student acts as Controversy Captain (encourages polite disagreement), a second student acts as Encourager (encouraging everyone to participate in the group discussion), a third student serves as Checker (asks if groupmates have learned what the group is studying), and the fourth member asks a Thanker (thanks members when they contribute to what the group is doing).

c.      When the group achieves one or more of its goals, or at least makes progress toward one or more of its goals, all the group members give themselves a pat on the back and give their groupmates a double thumbs up.

d.     Group members imagine they are reporters for an online newspaper doing an investigative article about what students do for fun.

e.      Each group in the class has their own song.

f.      Groups try to do better on next week’s quiz compared to their average on previous weeks’ quizzes.

g.     A group is learning about Morocco. Each group member studies a different aspect of the country: history, population, climate, and economy.

h.     The group aim to increase their use of the cooperative skill of asking for help.

 

Answer Key

1.     h

2.     b

3.     f

4.     g

5.     d

6.     e

7.     c

8.     a