Building cooperative learning competence in resistant pupils: strategies for teachers

Although cooperation has been declared a key competence in today's knowledge society, international pedagogical literature shows that cooperative learning is a complex and long-term task. While many research studies have found benefits of incorporating cooperative learning in the classroom, it is not uncommon for teachers to experience that some students show resistance to teamwork. This study analyses the 'building' of Cooperative Learning Competence in resistant pupils. Methodologically, it is a longitudinal case study in a rural classroom with only 8 students, two of them with clear attitudes of resistance to working cooperatively, who are the focus of this study. The data collection tools included the teacher's diary, anecdotal notes, individual and group semi-structured interviews, team's work plans and session diaries, narrative records and field notes. The results show how resistant pupils learn to cooperate, and the mechanisms used by this teacher in order to involve them in the cooperative classroom structure. In the conclusions, some suggestions for action are provided so that teachers can overcome those resistances.