Learning experiences through coperative learning and teaching methods

Resumen o Introducción

Cooperative Learning has been recommended and mandated as the most useful teaching and learning method by the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training in Tanzania. Perhaps, operating in consistence with the challenges of learner-centred education, the ministry came out with the Teacher Education Programme (TEP) as a professional support to college tutors. Most instructors of teachers colleges in Tanzania have taken the TEP which emphasizes the learner- centred ideology; a paradigm shift away from the traditional teacher-centred education. Capitalizing on quantitative and qualitatative data, this paper makes a critical reflection on the learning experiences through cooperative teaching methods in Tanzania primary schools. The paper is divided into five parts. The first part examines cooperative learning as a learner- centred activity. The second part explores both the roles of teachers and students in a cooperative teaching and learning setting. The third part highlights the measured learning effects through cooperative teaching methods. The fourth part is the author‟s reflections on his learning experiences through Cooperative Learning and Teaching Methods. The fifth part is a conclusion of the paper.