One of the main purposes to send a child to preschool is that it gives three and four year oldsHyphen 24b a chance to interact and learn from each other. In preschool children learn how to share, communicate, and they learn other social skills. Generally when children are going into kindergarten, the children who had an opportunity to interact with other children are more advanced. The children thatDIH Glossary had never interacted with other kids their age before are more likely to be a little behind in reading, writing, and arithmetic. Usually, the more interaction a child has the more advanced their5b speech, writing abilities, comprehension, and social abilities. As these children go on to elementary school they tend to be the ones that are top in their classes and also the ones who are much more socially inclined. Then when these same students go on to middle school and high school they are often the ones thatDIH Glossary are involved in sports and other after school activities. In sports, students learn to be team players. Sports and other after school activities make people more social and by being more social they are also learn to think more reflectively by communication. After high school students sometimes go straight to working full time or to college. In both of these areas people can team up to improve comprehension. Age does not matter, when group learning is involved. People, who are in elementary school, high school, college, or even in the work force, most often all learn more effectively when they are in groups. {***}How do you know? {1}

When students get together outside of class in small work groups of about five to six to collaborate about a class, they have a better understanding of what they learned. An educational handbook{2} ,16g explains that the reason cooperative learning is successful is that the context of a work group, of five to six, is more important than the satisfaction of the groupMeaning?. This means that the information that the group gets together to find is more important than to just make everyone in the group happy,3 "If you have a group of people care forWord Missing? and are committed to one another, they are going to achieve the goal of the activity much more quickly than if each were to attempt the task alone" (Wong 246). Most often a solution can be found quicker and easier with multiple brains rather than just one. When a group is formed to find a solution to some sort of problem that the teacher has given, the group can join forces to find the solution. The solution being found is not even the most important part of the group gathering, the important part is that each member of the group has learned something new and they all have opened up their mind to explore all options. They each have grasped more wisdom during this simple group activity. According to a book on learning,{3} "Learning is more likely when students can be involved and active and when they can learn from and with other students" (Atwell 69). The majority of the time all students have to do is discuss what they are doing in class and they have already learned more. Discussion groups keep the students' minds intrigued about what is going on in class. Also more knowledge is being obtained about the topic. Students will be more enthusiastic about an issue if they try to learn about it with other students.{4}

Students who work together also acquire more{5} about life as well. The same teaching guide referenced earlier states, "In cooperative groups, students help one another complete an activity the teacher has assigned. During the activity, the students clarify opinions, compare impressions, share solutions, and develop skills for leadership and teamwork" (Wong 246). Group work gives students a deeper understanding onWW the topic being taught. Not only are the students learning more in the class, they are also developing important skills for their futures, such as leadership and teamwork. In a segment on social skills a book says, "The basis of cooperative learning is social skills that help students share leadership, communicate effectively, build trust, and manage conflict" (Wong 257). All of the listed qualities are essential in everyday life. Whether or not a person learns anything in school, it is important that they learn communication, trust, and conflict management. These are all key traits to building relationships. A book on teaching techniques says, "The ability to work with others is almost a prerequisite to success in this world" (Cummings 93). If teachers want their students to be successful in life they will create activities that students can do together. All people must learn to work together and learn cooperatively. Most jobs require their employees to have the ability to work together. Working together is an essential tool that everyone needs to know how to do to be successful. This is also why after school activities, such as sports are important to learning. One important fact about sports is they teach people to be assertive. Also when a person is learning about something they5b are interested in, it is much easier for them to comprehend, especially when there are other people around who are in the same situation with them and learning the same new information. Another fact on how sports are another way of effective group learning isAwk that in sports often timesOmit needless words: 10a. people have to be dependent on another team member. Sports teach many social skills. Being socially mature is important in any area of life, and by having students work together will improve their social skills.

Many researches{6} have been doneUse the active voice: 6d. to prove the fact that students learn more efficiently when they are in groups. These researchesSing/Plu are done by polls, interviews, and reviewing students grades. In one research study, a professor interviewed several Harvard students and asked them to tell him about classes that had the most impact on them. Many students told their interviewer how they had professors who make them read essays of other students in their class and it was a part of their reading assignment for the night, "Students from these classes rave about benefits. Those who are writing 'this week's papers' work day and night to do a good job" (Light 64). Students feel more pressure to do better when they know their peers will be reading and discussing their paper. Students reading and revising each others18 papers is just another way for students to collaborate together and experiment with writing. A 1992 published teaching guide explains that, "Studies have shown that students working cooperatively in heterogeneous groups gain in both achievements and student social relationships" (Cummings 155). If a group of fellow students put their heads together they are more likely to get more out of the topic being taught, than by themselves, no matter the age, gender, nor ethnicity. Sometimes the more the mixture of people the more information the people absorb. As long as everyone in the group is participating, everyone will have beneficial outcomes. Students work better {***}Mixed Construction: 11b.together is a statistically proven fact. Research shows{7} how important group work is and all of its benefits.12

Students generally work better when they are working together. However, the exception would be with groups who had individuals who choose11a1 not to work and who let everyone else do the work. Although to many people group work is an advantage, sometimes it ends up being a major disadvantage. Occasionally, there will be a group that has only one person thatDIH Glossary does all the work, because the group let the whole work load drop into his or her lap. Fortunately for the one person who did all the work, learned many valuable lessons.Doesn't make sense Unfortunately for the rest of the group, nothing was learned.Use the active voice: 6d. Other than this downfallWW of group work much research has proved dividing people into groups is a great learning tool and it works. Many teachers practice it because there are always positive outcomes when people are split up into a group of various individuals and are asked to work together. If a group is made up of people with all different backgrounds, upbringing, or even ethnicity, the group will have a better chance to learn new and different things. Also by students learning together in groups, they learn more and this may save a lot of time and energy for the teacher. Having students work together is a very useful teaching tactic. Not only do students learn more about what they are studying they also learn very useful social skills that will help them no matter what they will eventually do for a living. Learning in groups equals learning more, effectively.

Work Cited

Atwell, Nancie. In the Middle. Heinemann: Boynton/Cook Publishers Inc., 1998.

Cummings, Carol. Managing to Teach. Edmonds: Teaching, Inc., 1992.

Light, Richard J. Making the Most of College. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2001.

Wong, Harry K., and Wong, Rosemary.Correct works cited entry: 31a2 The First Days of School. Mountain View: Harry K. Wong Publications, Inc., 1998.

Thesis Statement- Students of all ages gain more knowledge of what they are taught,

when they work together.{8}