Developing cooperative learning in efl contents. Introduction

Learners' Role in Cooperative Learning
Unlike what happens in a teacher-fronted class, group work instruction gives students an active role. It alters their roles from passive recipients of knowledge to active seekers and analysers of information. Instead of sitting quiet and listening to the teacher lecturing, in a CL environment, students are responsible for completing the task on their own and ensuring their group-mates' understanding of the assigned material as well as participating, talking and interacting effectively with each other.
Another way of promoting output in cooperative learning groups is for each student to have a particular role to play in the group. A wide variety of roles exists depending on the task to be performed and the particular students who will be performing it. Examples of roles (Jacobs, Power, & Loh, 2002) include:
Facilitator (also called Coach) - keeps the group on task and checks that everyone
knows what the instructions are;
Time Keeper - keeps track of the time limits;
Language Leader - encourages everyone to use the second language to the extent
previously agreed upon by the class and teacher;
Checker- checks to see that all group members have understood;
Encourager (also called Cheerleader) - encourages everyone to participate and leads the celebration of success;
Reporter- reports the group's work to other groups;
Questioner - asks questions to prompt the group to go more deeply and broadly into their task;
Paraphraser - restates what the previous speaker said to check comprehension;
Praiser - compliments groupmates for their ideas and their role in the group;
Conflict Creator -plays the role of devil's advocate bringing out opposing points
of view and other possibilities;
Sound Hound - makes sure the noise level does not go too high;
Observer - notes how the group is working together;
When groups are formed, Richards and Rodgers (2001: 199) explain that: The primary role of the learner is as a member of a group must work collaboratively on tasks with other group members. Learners have to learn teamwork skills. Learners are also directors of their own learning. They are taught to plan, monitor, and evaluate their own learning, which is viewed as a compilation of lifelong learning skills. Thus, learning is something that requires students' direct and active involvement and participation. In other words, students are expected to use interpersonal and small group skills. They, first, should perceive that group work is part of the course and should consider the task as challenging and interesting to get involved in the process of learning it. Second, while discussing and explaining concepts to each other, group members have to motivate, encourage and support their friends' efforts. Besides, they are required to listen carefully to the other team participants, share information or resources among them, respect others' opinions, resolve disagreements peacefully and offer feedback to each other in order to ameliorate their results. Furthermore, during the group task, learners plan their work, direct their own strategies of learning and assess their cooperative product. Additionally, students need to follow the classroom discipline and the teacher's rules; that is, equality reigns in the room and no student is given the power to dominate the talking or the direction of the group work - they should obey the teacher's instruction to proceed effectively.