A Study On The Experiences Of Pre-Service Teachers Participating In A Cooperative-Learning-Based Class
D. Evaluation
1) Reflection in the individual dimension
Participants initially felt worried and fearful about cooperative learning. However, the experience of cooperative learning has changed their existing perceptions and attitudes.
“We were accustomed to individual life style. But we showed attitude to care for each other through cooperative learning. And the care gathered and made harmony. Until now, I thought that studying on my own was highly efficient. However, I was able to experience the effect of studying together rather than studying alone by working with the team members.” [6]
Participants realized the value of cooperation through cooperative learning, and they learned the cooperative attitude. This cooperative attitude has led to the achievement of values and goals of community unity and harmony.
“I realized that when everyone did their best together for team project, good quality results could be produced.
(Omitted in the middle) Through the team project, I learned how to live together rather than being an individual.” [5]
2) Educational Effect of Cooperative Learning
Cooperative learning positively affects learner‟s knowledge expansion (Lee, B.R. & Jeong, M.S., 2011). In traditional lecture-based class, learning by rote and the expansion of knowledge through injected knowledge return to the learner alone. However, even if a same learning goal is provided to a whole class, tasks and goals are different according to team and individual in cooperative learning. The learning of members contributes to the knowledge extension of the whole team and the members.
“I was able to experience acquiring knowledge through self-directed learning while writing together a group report, and I was able to experience acquiring knowledge through collective intelligence by frequently discussing with the members. [7]
As the characteristics of cooperative learning based on positive interdependence are similar to the principles of democratic citizenship education, it is possible to cultivate the qualities of democratic citizens through cooperative learning (Jeong M.S., Choi, H.H., & Jeon, Y.E., 2017). In this study, cooperative learning has the educational effect of cultivating democratic citizenship.
“I realized the importance of democracy in group activities. If I cannot fulfill the value of democracy as a team leader, I will not be trusted by members. However, when democracy was properly implemented, I realized that we can feel the satisfaction that we are actively participate and we are playing an important role.”
[9]
Recognition of the value of democracy will play a positive role in cultivating the right democratic citizenship attitude. Cooperative learning experiences have been shown to affect democratic values as well as democratic citizenship. First, active participation was encouraged through cooperative learning.
“In the meantime, there were many passive aspects of doing things that other people directed at school, but they changed into active attitudes in cooperative learning. To me as a facilitator, the process of leading the team and gathering opinions has been a great help to have confidence and active attitude.” [4]
Second, the attitude of respect for diversity has been raised. Participants recognized the importance and value of diversity of community members. Cooperative learning has expanded the scope and content of learning as well as the viewpoint of social diversity. The expansion of perspective on this diversity will be an important foundation for the formation of a multicultural attitude to think about and acknowledge diversity at the national and global level.
“I once again felt the value of respecting diversity as „I must respect the diverse local culture of our country‟,
if I have something I have gained with my team members. This is because I felt that the culture of our country is melting into the local culture.” [4]
Third, the attitudes of living with other people such as respect for others, resolution of conflicts, acceptance and recognition, cooperation, and responsibility were raised through collaborative learning.
“I learned how to listen to other people‟s opinions while doing cooperative learning, and I learned that many people have different thoughts when I try to cooperate with each other. I also learn how to understand and accept their perspectives. Finally, in order to have the virtue of cooperation, I was able to learn the important value of pursuing individual responsibility.” [10]
Therefore, cooperative learning plays a role of maintaining and developing community through various educational effects in addition to the change of individual level of research participants.
3. Teaching Implications found by Pre-service Teachers
Participants in this study are pre-service teachers who will teach their students as social studies teachers in secondary education after graduating from college. Experience has continuity associated with past, present, and future experiences. In other words, past experience is the basis for forming the present and the future (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000). The cooperative learning experience of the pre-service teachers is not a simple learning experience but a valuable asset that can be widely considered as a teaching plan for future teachers and the learner‟s performance of instruction and learning effect. The results of this study were as follows. First, the participants recognized the importance and value of cooperative learning. Cooperative learning has become a new way of thinking about teaching and learning.
“The learning ability of each individual is of course different. It is very important, however, to overcome individual differences and help each other, so that everyone can step together to the finish line without someone first reaching the finish line or without competition. I learned that learning is not only academic but also working with others is learning.” [1]
How will these experiences be taught based on topics they have experienced in the class was spreading to serious consideration about the concrete method of teaching.
“In terms of development and preservation, I will apply the results of our field research on the Baedari village and the Daldong museum to social studies education. The department of social studies education says that students should educate the global citizens who can clarify their own arguments and grounds and fulfill the role of democratic citizens. So, I will apply the method of discussion in this class based on the results of this survey. (Omitted in the middle) Discussions will not only be on teaching and sharing ideas with students, but also on sustainable development. Through these learning activities, I think that I can expect the students‟
critical mind on the development and preservation, the power to think about solutions for them, and the training of democratic citizens through discussions.” [3]
First of all, participants emphasized the importance of experience.
“Now, the social studies subjects taught at elementary and junior high schools are nominally inquiry subjects, but most of them are being taught as teaching by rote. If I become a teacher, the subject will be not a form of memorization, but a form with which students experience with their body and think creatively like this
„Culture and Education‟ class. I would like to make students have social studies subjects that students really want to explore.” [8]
Participants recognized the value of cooperative learning and the importance of direct experience through cooperative learning. This has been the basis for generating new ideas about what and how to teach students.
As a result, cooperative learning experience of the research participants had the effect and meaning in two aspects of learning as a learner as well as learning as a future teacher. In other words, the curriculum and contents of the pre-service teacher training program directly or indirectly affected the educational values and attitudes to be taught as teachers.
Conclusion
This study started from the recognition of the problems in training pre-service teacher, who are responsible for educating future citizens, and from the necessity of the innovation. In order to carry out the research, this study analyzed the cooperative learning experiences of the students who took the „Culture and Education‟
class as a required course of teaching major for the freshmen of the social studies education department, College of Education, „I‟ University.
The results of the study showed that participants had worries and fears about unfamiliar learning methods
aware of the importance of cooperative learning for both learners and teachers while experiencing the educational effects of cooperative learning. In particular, the cooperative learning experiences of pre-service teachers in social studies are effective in recognizing the value and necessity of cooperative learning. And furtermore those experiences have been related to their own serious consideration on how to unfold learner-centered activities in the social studies class. The learning effect of pre-service teachers can influence the perception and attitude of future teaching activities and moreover the quality of education. The results of this study can provide the following implications: First, research participants reaffirmed their value as a democratic citizen through cooperative learning. Therefore, the curriculum of the teacher training institute for the pre-service teachers should be designed in order to raise the right educational perspective and attitude as the teacher. Second, the teacher training program should be structured so that teachers can directly experience various teaching techniques that can be applied to the teaching field. The method of classroom management, which is experienced directly during the teacher training period, can be developed into a new teaching form that is best suited to oneself through experience and reconstruction. Third, pre-service teacher‟s educational programs need to be linked with actual school sites. The field experience in the preparation of the pre-service teacher can minimize the trial and error that can occur when they will become teachers. This is a way to improve the quality of education. The educational program of the pre-service teacher training institution in Korea has been continuously criticized, as there is lack of connection with the field. Just as the quality of education does not exceed the quality of teachers, training good teachers should be the first step toward the development of education.
Acknowledgement
This study was supported by the Ministry of Education of the Republic of Korea and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2017S1A5B4055802).
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