COP – part B

Hello everyone,

In setting up COP in my class, i would first investigate each and one of my pupils’ level of proficiency, strengths, and weaknessses also their background. This is important so that I could know the  tasks and group works that i will give to them would be appropriate. By this, my main focus is to know the pupils’ ability so that whatever tasks that i give to them is not so difficult and also not so easy. Besides i want them to be indepent in their learning. This is due to the concept of collaborative learning that stresses on ‘Putting the focus on student learning, rather than teacher telling or "covering the content", means (1) students take responsibility for their own learning, (2) learning experiences are geared to students’ interests and needs, (3) students are actively engaged in learning in a variety of groups and contexts, and (4) learning is understood, applied and internalized.  ( Cooper and Boyd )

In the classroom itself, the students could be in the COP environment by forming their own community members for example from the organization chart, there is a monitor, assisstant monitor and the communities. They will share the responsible of the classroom together. This is also to train the students to face the real world in future for instance in the working place, the students will be working the community and have to play their own role in the community. Therefore, by giving the early practice at scholl could develop the pupils intrapersonal, interpersonal, and also communicative skills in them.

The activities that i would like to have in integrating COP to my students are information-gap activites and portfolio. All these activities have been discussed by my group in our presentation. Infomation gap occurs when one person has the information that the other has not.  Thus they need to seek and share the information in order to complete the activity. This activity could train the pupils to be indepent in learning where they need to communicate to seek for the correct information that they need. Also, this activity is to make them realized that they need others to help them to complete the tasks in the community of practice.

Portfolio is usually given by teacher at the beginning of the schooling years. Portfolio could be paper based or electronic where the pupild would keep their journals, biography and learning product by using certain software. Other students could read on other students’works. They also could comment on other works and share their thoughts. Besides this application could be there forever at anytime and anywhere they need it. It could practice the pupils to learn from each others’ work.

That’s all that I could think of about COP. Hopefully I have answered the questions posted correctly…happy COPing…hehehehe