Is Cooperative Learning Unfair to Gifted Students?

Introduction: The Cooperative Learning Debate

Almost every student today — barring those from extremely conservative school systems or those who have been homeschooled — has probably engaged in some form of cooperative learning. Cooperative learning assignments, as discussed in the essay "Making Cooperative Learning Work" from Kaleidoscope: Readings in Education, carry many benefits that may seem to outweigh the potential pitfalls of constructing such learning environments. Ultimately, these assignments are thought to better prepare students to live and work in a real-world environment where teamwork is valued over pure individual achievement. But perhaps the best argument for cooperative learning in the classroom is not only that it aligns with today's workforce demands, but that it offers emotional and intellectual benefits to all students — including the gifted, the supposedly average, and those who are academically deficient.

Common Criticisms of Cooperative Learning

It cannot be ignored that numerous criticisms have been levied at cooperative learning by educators and students alike. Although the nature of cooperative learning seems democratic at its very essence — encouraging students to bridge their differences, both personal and educational — many parents and educators bristle at the notion that it stifles academically gifted students. It is argued that gifted students hold themselves back subconsciously to keep pace with their peers, or that teachers spend more time tailoring assignments to the weakest members of a cooperative learning team rather than the strongest.

Gifted Students as Peer Teachers

However, in an ideal cooperative learning environment, students are encouraged to learn from the gifts and mistakes of others. Having gifted students within the group encourages them to spread their knowledge to fellow students, rather than simply accumulating a long list of high grades. Gifted students can act as teachers within such an environment — and at times perhaps more effective teachers than adult educators — because they are perceived as peers. If gifted students are only allowed to shine in an individualistic environment, or are isolated in a small enrichment class composed entirely of fellow high achievers, this peer-teaching role remains unavailable to them. This is a particular loss for students who may already feel isolated from their peer group because of their intellectual abilities.

Consider, for example, peer learning research, which consistently finds that explaining concepts to others deepens the explainer's own understanding — a dynamic that benefits gifted students as much as anyone in the group.

Conclusion: Learning From and Teaching One Another

Although the concerns of a parent of a gifted child may be valid to some degree, it is important to remember that even gifted children are children, and must learn how to engage with one another and with their less academically inclined peers on a social level. Singling out gifted children solely for their mental brilliance and isolating them is not necessarily emotionally or educationally healthy. A student may shine individually, but that individual brilliance is always in dialogue with a larger world, and he or she must learn how to communicate it effectively. Isolating students in a heavily tracked system, although tempting and easier for many educators, does not allow gifted students to perform that teaching role for others, nor does it allow them to model non-intellectual attributes from those in their peer group. Ultimately, all students have much to learn from — and to teach — one another, and creating an environment where this can happen in a positive and structured manner should be the goal of every educator.