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How scholarships to Yale University were won - Essence of cooperative learning

Cooperative Learning is an instructional strategy that enhances group successes through positive interdependence. Students complete tasks collectively towards academic or co curricular goals.

When teachers’ roles change from merely giving lectures or instruction, they facilitate students’ learning through hands-on activities; that is to say, less talk fosters more minds-on and hands-on engagement.

The strategy is best illustrated when groups of students work together to search for understanding, meaning, or solutions that may escape one measly individual working alone, in solitary confinement. Everyone succeeds when the group succeeds.

 

First part of this Yale story

In the 1990s, while teaching with the Los Angeles Unified School District, I came across a leaflet announcing some scholarships by Yale University for student summer internships.

With the term already packed with various activities, an initial impulse suggested ignoring the leaflet. But curiosity and a bold wish prevailed, and I added the paper to my to-do-list.

In the early afternoon, I announced the flyer’s contents to an English class in a GATE programme (Gifted And Talented Education). They seemed unsure, so I let the idea fade, for the time being.

The next day or so, I re-introduced the subject. This time around I added details. The scholarship was a national one – across the United States. The Los Angeles County had been allotted a few possible places. The internships could be preludes to possible turning points to larger scholarships and lush careers.

“Sir, too many people will contest, and our chances are small,” said one shaky voice.

“That may be true. Regardless, consider this chance: just for the fun of it. Remember, nothing ventured - nothing gained,” I insisted.

 

Self-doubts

Wrapped in self-doubts, the class was quiet and unresponsive. The likelihood of growing a bunch of wimps kept gnawing in my gut. I was uneasy with that prospect. “Listen: If you take the chance, you may win. If you don’t try you will never win!” I thought it well to make no promises while not excluding hope.

I sensed a calm resistance. A good many of the youngsters had never left home, not even once. Again, even if they won, they would have to provide their own tickets to New Haven, Connecticut – on the other side of the North American continent.

That first uncertainty was a mere state of mind. The fear relating to the plane fares could be resolved also, if need be, by passing a hat among the faculty and administration. Americans are ever so supportive of the go-getter; it is in their genes.

With a few more prodding, enough bold sports were garnered. I wrote to Yale committing names and other information. The Rubicon was crossed. The die was cast. There was no turning back.

The D-Day arrived – much sooner than I expected.  A parcel from Yale arrived through a courier, and it was duly dropped in my lap by a school secretary. It contained two sets of examinations: a diagnostic test, and an essay type test.

On scanning the diagnostic test, faith deserted me on the spot. The instructions and sequencing were quite clear and understandable; but the test pages themselves were scattered with a mesh of puzzling illustrations and correlations. I spotted the ideal case for a cooperative experiment in problem solving!

The diagnostic test, I discerned, was to screen prospective candidates for brain types suited for particular research tasks impending at Yale. Every renowned school has a way of picking its prospective nominees.

 

GATE programme

Through the GATE programme and the California Education Code, I had on occasions participated in statewide workshops for accelerated learning through “specialised learning experiences” beyond the regular curricular methods. Rather than the normal lock-step approaches, the training helped to design instructional modules that taught  real life, and assured group successes in complex tasks, such as the Yale one in question.

Providence is ever so near, and ever married to risks (as we shall see later). Having practised aspects of cooperative learning in small groups, this class was familiar with group synergy and skills in decision making and problem solving. A serendipitous opening to transfer previous learning experiences into a new and unexpected situation presented itself. That was the safe guide on the horizon, and also the audacity to practise what I had taught.

The candidates were thus arranged into small working groups of 3 or 4 pupils, and the diagnostic test duly passed out for cooperative work. I capped my apprehensions and took on a gallant bearing. There is no worse blunder in leadership than to hold out false hopes soon to be swept away, as Winston Churchill used to say. My heart hummed with this anxiety.

Group diligence and enthusiasm - picked from earlier guided practices - attended the first test, and the end arrived finally. After the required break from the first test, the desks were re-arranged for the candidates to now tackle the essays individually. At the end of the tests, the papers were collected, arranged in the prescribed order, and sent by registered mail to Yale University. I awaited the results. [To be continued]

 

Writer's email: [email protected]

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