Student Centered Cooperative Learning : Linking Concepts in Education to Promote Student Learning

This book helps teachers understand the links between cooperative learning (also known as collaborative learning and peer learning) and other student-centered approaches. It discusses cooperative learning and communities of practice; cooperative learning and neuroscience; cooperative learning and critical thinking; cooperative learning and alternative assessment; cooperative learning and multiple intelligence; cooperative learning and positive education; cooperative learning and meeting the needs of introverts; and cooperative learning and justice issues, with each chapter exploring a different aspect of how education can be student centered.

If you are looking for a fresh perspective on cooperative learning, this book is for you. It helps you explore how cooperative learning is so much more than just asking students to arrange themselves in a group, and considers how cooperative learning can fit with other areas of education that you care about. 

Although the two authors both completed their PhDs in the West, they have taught in Asia for the past 25+ years, working with students and teachers from a wide variety of Asian and other countries, and with teachers from a very wide variety of content areas who teach students of many different ages.

George M Jacobs is an educator from Singapore. His primary research interests are student-centered instruction, cooperative learning, humane education, environmental education, teacher education and positive education. His two main roles are teaching student-centered approaches to in-service teachers in a variety of fields, and teaching in the non-formal education sector for non-profit organisations. He is also active in professional associations, such as the Extensive Reading Foundation and the International Ecolinguistics Association. George has published more than 260 articles, book chapters, and books on topics related to this book. He regularly conducts workshops and courses for teachers on cooperative learning and other student centered themes. 

Dr Willy A Renandya is a language teacher educator with extensive teaching experience in Asia. He currently teaches applied linguistics courses at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He has given numerous plenary presentations at regional and international conferences, and published extensively in the area of second language education. His latest publications include Motivation in the language classroom (2014, TESOL International), Simple, powerful strategies for Student Centered Learning with George Jacobs and Michael Power (2016, Springer International), and Cooperative Learning in Language Education (2018) with George Jacobs. He maintains an active language teacher professional development forum called Teacher Voices.