Cooperative or Group Learning Method  Conditions and Controls  The following conditions and controls are useful for cooperative learning:  In spite of its advantages, success with cooperative or group learning depends on conditions and controls. First of all, instructors need  to begin planning early to determine what the group is expected to learn and to be able to do on their own. The group task may  emphasize academic achievement, cognitive abilities, or physical skills, but the instructor should use clear and specific objectives to  describe the knowledge and/or abilities the learners are to acquire and then demonstrate on their own.  Cooperative or group learning organizes learners into small groups who can work together to maximize understanding. Research  indicates that learners completing cooperative learning group tasks tend to have better test scores, higher self-esteem, improved social  skills, and greater comprehension of the subjects they are studying. Perhaps the most significant characteristic of group learning is  that it continually requires active participation in the learning process.  In practice, collaborative, learner-led, instructor-led, or working group strategies are types of group learning. In these examples, the  leader or the instructor serves as a coach or facilitator who interacts with the group, as necessary, to keep it on track or to encourage  everyone in the group to participate.  Best used for the mastery of mental or physical skills that require practice, the demonstration-performance method is based on the  principle that people learn by doing. In this method, learners observe the skill and then try to reproduce it. It is well suited for the  aircraft maintenance instructor who uses it in the shop to teach welding, and the flight instructor who uses it in teaching piloting skills.  Every instructor should recognize the importance of learner performance in the process. Early in demonstration and performance  lesson, the instructor should identify the most important learning outcomes. Next, explain and demonstrate the steps involved in  performing the skill being taught. Then, allow learners time to practice each step, so they can increase their ability to perform the  skill.  The demonstration-performance method is divided into five phases: explanation, demonstration, learner performance, instructor  supervision, and evaluation.  [Figure 5-15]  Demonstration-Performance Method  Explanation Phase  Explanations need to be clear, pertinent to the objectives of the particular lesson to be presented, and based on the known experience  and knowledge of the learners. In teaching a skill, the instructor conveys to the learners the precise actions they are to perform. In  addition to the necessary steps, the instructor should describe the end result of these efforts. Before leaving this phase, the instructor  should encourage learners to ask questions about any step of the procedure that they do not understand.  5-21  ⦁ $_{Time after completion of group tasks for learners to systematically reflect upon how they worked together as }$ a team  ⦁ $_{Recognition and rewards for group success }$ ⦁ $_{Individual accountability }$ ⦁ $_{Sufficient time for learning }$ ⦁ $_{Learner access to and comprehension of required information }$ ⦁ $_{The opportunity for learner success }$ ⦁ $_{Learner perception of targeted objectives as their own, personal objectives }$ ⦁ $_{Clear, complete instructions of what learners are to do, in what order, with what materials, and when }$ appropriate—what learners are to do as evidence of their mastery of targeted content and skills  ⦁ $_{Small, heterogeneous groups }$