Description and Application of Corners: A Cooperative Learning Procedure for the Judaic Classroom

When mentoring our pre-service and in-service teachers we need to describe and model both research-based and clinically tested best practices. Accordingly our mentees should know about the Cooperative Learning Model of Teaching.

One example of a cooperative learning procedure for the Judaic classroom is Corners. A description of this cooperative procedure and a sample application for the Judaic classroom follows:

Corners [also called Clusters] (*Spencer and Miguel Kagan, 2009)

The teacher or a student raises a divergent question, one that has multiple answers. After several responses are generated, students are invited to join a common interest group where they can discuss their views. These common interest groups gather in different parts (corners or clusters) of the room.

Sample Application: What is your favorite Jewish holiday?

*Kagan, S. & Kagan, M. (2009). Kagan Cooperative Learning. San Clemente, CA: Kagan Publishing, www.KaganOnline.com .

On the next post we will describe and give a sample application of another cooperative learning procedure, Team Question and Answer.