Read the 3 cases below and answer the questions at the end following the vignettes.

Here is how to submit your responses:

1. the question, followed by your answer

Vignette 11.1 Miss Dorothy's Preschool

At age 4, Araceli and two other girls mostly play in the kitchen center. After putting on hats and copious bracelets and necklaces, each grabs a doll.

Araceli: You're the sister. I'm the mother.

Girl: I'm the older sister and the babysitter.

Araceli: Okay then, pretend I have a beautiful dress on and that I'm going shopping with my friends, and then I will make you dinner when I come home. (Talking to two boys who are at the stove.) You can be the father or the brother.

Boy 1: He is the father. I am the cooker. What do you want to eat?

Girl: Pizza.

Boy 2: Now I'm going to work and I'm a cooker. (To the girls) You have to go home with the kids.

Boy 1: I'm the policeman at the restaurant.

Few of the boys venture into the kitchen area during free-choice time; they primarily play with cars, blocks, or superhero action figures. However, two other boys enter the area, dress Barbies, and then have the Barbies fight each other.

Araceli: Boys are not allowed to play with Barbies; only girls.

Boy: Yes we can.

Araceli: No. Dolls are for girls; especially Barbies.

Boy: We are not playing with them. We're fighting them!

Araceli: You're not allowed to do that.

In disgust, the three girls decide to go to the reading center. Araceli asks Miss Dorothy if she wants to read with them.

Miss Dorothy: Honey, I love that book, but I have to clean up the snack table first.

Araceli: How 'bout if I help you, so you won't miss any of the pictures?

Vignette 11.2 Mrs. Herndon's 8th Grade Language Arts Class

As the students enter her classroom, Mrs. Herndon says, "Sit down by a laptop with whoever you want to work with." Everyone pairs off, and John sits by Bill. Dillon says, "I want to work with Arthur." Mrs. Herndon says, "Arthur isn't here today so you can either join another group or work by yourself." Dillon decides to work by himself. Mrs. Herndon passes out worksheets and tells the students, "You are going to look up information about the Holocaust. I want you to learn background information before we begin Anne Frank's The Diary of a Young Girl next week. You will find all the information on the websites I have given you."

The students find a website and begin filling out their worksheets. Bill and John huddle around the computer.

Bill: There's the answer!

John: No! That's not it. Right here. That's what she wants.

Bill: So what are you going to write?

Bill leans over to look at John's paper and copy John's answer. On every question, John writes the answer down first, and Bill copies it.

Meanwhile, Dillon does not work, except when he sees Mrs. Herndon looking at him. Then he says, "I can't find the date for question 2. He asks for help with every question and does not complete the worksheet before the bell rings. Mrs. Herndon says, "We'll have to work out a time for you to finish," as Dillon leaves for his next class.

In general, Mrs. Herndon does not like cooperative learning. She calls it "structured cheating" because one student does all the work while others slack off. She uses it when she needs to finish up some work, like organizing her desk, grading papers, or preparing lesson plans.

Vignette 11.3 Ms. Carr's AP English Class

In her advanced placement English class, Ms. Carr uses cooperative learning almost daily. She begins with a lecture on the fundamentals of each novel, such as the author, culture, themes, and literary elements. She then forms the students into a "literature circle." She gives them each a specific role in analyzing the novel. They do a presentation on what they learn that builds on the fundamentals from her lectures. The "discussion director" leads the group, forming a list of questions and issues that the group will research. The "summarizer/passage master" locates passages that are pertinent to key events in the novel. The "researcher/graphic designer" locates background information on the novel and portrays it in an appealing format. The "lexicographer" locates and defines unfamiliar words or phrases. Each role has specific instructions, forms to complete, and guidelines for how to present their information. Ms. Carr also gives her students explicit criteria for how they will be assessed, both as individuals and as a group. She checks on each group periodically to make sure everyone is contributing and groups are running smoothly.

QUESTIONS

Answer each question Write the questions followed by your answer

1. What kind of play are the children in Miss Dorothy's preschool engaging in? How is this type of play likely to affect children's well-being?

2. Did you see evidence of gender segregation in Miss Dorothy's preschool or Mrs. Herndon's 8th-grade class? At which age is gender segregation most likely? How are children likely to develop differently in these different peer groups?

3. Compare the use of cooperative learning in Mrs. Herndon's and Ms. Carr's classrooms. In what ways could the use of Cooperative Learning be improved? What kind of outcomes would you expect for Cooperative Learning (CL) in each classroom? Defend your conclusion.