The hot humid air surrounding me made me break out in sweat just by sitting in the same seat for 80 straight minutes. My butt started to ache as I continuously shifted my weight from time to time waiting for the bell to finally ring indicating that class was over. The professor had been lecturing for the past hour or so and my fingers were starting to cramp from taking notes. My notes are scribbles because I am falling asleep waiting for him to finish the lecture.
The words coming out of his mouth sounded like gibberish to my ears and I was unable to comprehend any of the information he said;this will continue for the next three classes I have in a role. I do not want to imagine how I will look like when school. I questioned myself if this an effective way of learning? High school is like the end of a marathon and before entering into the college marathon, how is the school system leading me to the end? The most effective way to change high school in order to better prepare students for life is to promote cooperative learning.
In today’s education system, it is more of a teacher-student learning which is not effective because it includes a lecture, taking notes, and finally, a test. The cycle is overly repetitive that students are numb to it; they can already predict what is going to happen next. Therefore, cooperative learning practices teamwork, motivation and positivity, and presentation skills to prepare students for life. Cooperative learning involves students to work together to get the work done more productivity while learning more at the same time.
When students get together, they can discuss their ideas with others and build others’ knowledge on top of their own. Working with other people who have the same goal as you will allow both of you produce high quality work. Also, teamwork can improve students’ communication skills. Today, students are lacked in speaking skills where they have a hard time talking with others and work together. Students are more likely to work by themselves because no one taught them how to work with others when they were young. At school, teachers always tell them, “work on your own work. This idea limited students where they have never got the chance to interact with others to share their ideas. It is fine for students to work alone during school time since they are only getting a grade for themselves and the works are not that difficult to finish. However, when they get older, their tasks need them to communicate and work as a team. Jobs are not going to be as easy as school work. No one can design a building, plan a year plan, or figure out a solution for problems by themselves. They must have the ability to partner with others and finish the job.
Some teachers think that allowing students working together is giving a chance for students to socialize instead of doing their work. However, “From these studies it has been concluded that having students work together cooperatively is much more powerful than having students work alone, competitively or individually”(NARST). Because when they work together they are not only taking the responsibility of their own works and grades, but also their teammates. So, they will push themselves to do the work and get it done in time.
In addition, they can learn better because it is not just the teacher teaching it, their teammates can explain to them in an “unprofessional” way for easier understanding. Also, the teachers would not have tons of students coming up to his or her desk to ask questions. As a result, students need more teamwork in class for students to interact each other. When it comes to the topic of learning, most of us will readily agree that it is more fun to work with friends. Learning becomes fun when students are motivated to learn in groups. Interaction gives learners the opportunity to use language successfully and to measure their progress which in turn should lead to an increase in motivation”(TeacherEnglish). Basically, TeacherEnglish is saying that being able to work with others increases motivation to get the work done and will supervise each other’s process. The time it would take for one student to finish a project versus a group is much different;it takes longer to finish as an individual not only because of the limited individual power but also the lack of motivation in finishing up the project. Without motivation, nothing will be accomplished in life.
The power of one person is limited, but with the power of a group is unpredictable. At the same time, teammates motivate each other to try new things. Peer influence is a big motivation towards coming to class everyday and participating in activities will make them more successful learners. Instead, working alone will make one not want to do the work which decreases productivity. “Students work together cooperatively is much more powerful than having students work alone, competitively or individually” (Johnson & Johnson, 1982; Johnson, Maruyama, Johnson, Nelson & Skon, 1981).
Johnson believes that students work faster in a group. In addition, when working in groups, students are more relaxed talking to peers, whether about the assignment, things outside of class, or even random conversations. The motivation to finish the work fast in order to have free time is incredible; the longer it takes to finish a project, the more stress there is. In the future, students do not get to choose who they want to work with all the time especially at work.
At work, everyone is new-faced, but if no one can bring motivation to drive others, then it is hard to form a group that will function efficiently as well as slow in productivity. In order to be able to practice the insufficient in today’s society of motivations and productivity, the school system should advocate teamwork. If it is hard to talk to classmates, it is harder to talk to anyone. Once students leave high school, everything will be brand new: new environment, new friends, new experiences. So, to increase motivation and productivity in students, a change in the high school system is necessary.
Public speaking is considered the greatest fear for people. About 74% of men and women in the world suffer from speech anxiety. That means around 238 million people feel nervous when having to speak to people publicly. They tend to tremble, stutter, and grow weak in from of an audience. This can occur when you’re being called on to answer a question in class or even when you have to present a proposal at a job. Due to this fear, it causes many people to lose opportunities to make friends, get jobs, and be a leader.
People tend to be afraid of speaking in front of others because they do not want others see them makes mistakes or even of past failures (Genard). By implementing more cooperative learning in classrooms, students would be given the opportunity to experience more work requiring presenting skills. That way, even if they make mistakes, they will learn from it and do better when it comes to a really important one later on in the future. The key thing is that they will have tons of practice and experience so that they would not be as afraid as they keep on doing it.
Another reason would be that they have not prepared well enough so this can lead to them pausing too often and using words such as “like” and “um”. All the hesitation and pauses show nervousness. Everyone experiences this at least once in their lifetime whether not studying for a test or not paying attention to the teacher, and being called on afterwards. On the opposite, cooperative learning will help to eliminate or alleviate your fear in public speaking and prepare you for any presentation. It gives you a sense of confidence that you have never felt before because you are not alone up there.
Being in front of an audience and presenting your ideas to them allows you to lead them to a certain outcome. You want them to be able to follow you throughout your whole performance and get the same amount of information that you know of the topic. Good public speaking skills is correlated to being successful because it gives you the ability to show authority, leadership, and persuade people (Bradley). Words are so powerful and can change someone’s feelings towards something in a blink of an eye as long as it is said with confidence and a purpose.
Public speaking is used in everyday life and is so important because it allows us to communicate with others around us and share our knowledge and ideas. Therefore, a change in the high school system is needed. In order to solve today’s situation of lack of preparations for students in society, high schools need to adapt a cooperative-learning system that can prepare students for college and the workforce. It will not only increase one’s ability to work as a team but also his or her motivation towards learning and presentation skills.
These three things are significant to our everyday lives and the future. You would need the teamwork skills when working at a job with other employees or even when playing collegiate sports such as football, soccer, or swimming. There are more things in this world that require teamwork than individual power to complete. Having the motivation to always continue learning despite being out of school will help you become successful. The fact is that you can never fully know everything and even if it is something simple and easy, it does not hurt to try it.
Learning just one thing per day will make your life that much more interesting and entertaining. It allows your mind to continuously grow and expand. Lastly, good presentation skills will always come handy to you in every situation. It can be hosting a party and thanking the guests for making the event successful or even talking to someone you have just met. Either way, you are constantly communicating with others every single day. By implementing cooperative learning into the high school’s curriculum, it will enhance these three skills in students and further prepare them for the real world after high school.
