Developing a democratic classroom and a democracy stance: Cooperative learning case studies from England and Sweden

One of the key challenges for educators is how to ensure inclusion of all learners in diverse classrooms. One effective way of providing an inclusive environment is by using Cooperative learning. When teachers use Cooperative learning a democracy stance (Vinterek 2010 Vinterek, M. 2010. “How to Live Democracy in the Classroom.” Education Inquiry 1 (4): 367–380. doi:10.3402/edui.v1i4.21951Taylor & Francis Online , Google Scholar) emerges (Ferguson-Patrick 2014 Ferguson-Patrick, K. 2014. “Establishing a Democracy Classroom: Cooperative Learning and Good Teaching.” (PhD). University of Newcastle. Google Scholar). Such classrooms use inclusive pedagogies that increase participation and decrease exclusion (Florian and Black-Hawkins 2011 Florian, L., and K. Black-Hawkins. 2011. “Exploring Inclusive Pedagogy.” British Educational Research Journal 37 (5): 813–828. doi:10.1080/01411926.2010.501096Taylor & Francis Online, Web of Science ® , Google Scholar). This paper will present an analysis of findings from two case studies of schools using Cooperative learning to review the factors that demonstrate this democracy stance in action and show how they create caring communities and a sense of enjoyment through working cooperatively.