George Jacobs,
Language Specialist
Southeast Asia Ministers of Education Organization
Regional Language Centre
Cooperative learning is fortunate to have so many wise and devoted proponents who have created techniqes, conducted research, developed theory, and helped other teachers learn about CL. Notable among these CL proponents are Spencer Kagan and his associates, who for many years have made very valuable contributions to CL.
Over the past ten plus years, I've attended Kagan workshops and read many Kagan books and other writings. More recently, I've also been reading their on-line newsletter. My main teaching involves courses and workshops on cooperative learning for teachers across subject areas from lower elementary to university level and in many countries in Southeast Asia, as well as in Hawaii in the US. In these courses and workshops, teachers learn about CL by participating in CL activities.
The Kagan approach combines useful principles with an ever-growing range of practical techniques that can be applied across subject areas and age levels. Teachers find these structures easy to apply and frequently report having used them successfully. Kagan's Six Keys, especially PIES, help me and other teachers better understand the processes that underlie successful CL.
I can't count all the times that an activity in one of my classes has gone well due to an idea I learned from Kagan, or all the times a teacher has thanked me for a Kagan idea that I had passed on.
Thank you very much!
George Jacobs,
Language Specialist,
Southeast Asia Ministers of Education Organization
Regional Language Centre (SEAMEO RELC)