Cooperation VS Competition: Which Is Best?

 

 

 

     Great teachers know how and when to use games in their classroom.  Games motivate students and are a great way to review material.  But which is better, cooperation of competition?

     Cooperative games build teamwork.  They are also a better way to eencourage striving students who often need a more nurturing and less stressful environment in order to perform well. The flip side is cooperative games are often not as motivating to bright students.  They can feel dragged down if other members of their team do not "pull their weight".  Struggling students can suffer, too, if more aggressive students act as bullies. 

     Competitive games are usually more rewarding for students, even if the winners of the game don't receive an actual prize.  When I do competitive games, usually the only prize is respect.  Bright students often thrive with competitive games, however struggling students can get very frustrated and shut down. 

     My solution is cooperative competitive games.  These are the types of games that students work cooperatively within a team, but that team competes with other teams.  Here are some of my favorite cooperative competitive games.

Show Me (A Kagan Structure)

     Materials:  1 whiteboard, marker, and eraser per group of 3, and any review materials

     Procedure: 

1.  Divide the class into groups of 3 and pass out materials.  If your class cannot be evenly divided into three, it's OK to have a group of 2.

2.  Have the students in each group decide who will be the Reader, Writer, and Shower.  Tell them that these jobs will rotate each round, so every person in the group will have a chance to be every job.  In the group of 2 the Reader and Shower will be the same person.

3.  Using your review materials, have the Reader read the problem or question.  The group then decides on the answer and the Writer writes it on the whiteboard.  The Shower goes up to the front of the room and holds up the whiteooard so the class cannot see it.

4.  When all of the groups have a Shower in front of the room, the teacher says, "One, two, three, show me!" and all the Showers turn their whiteboards around.  The teacher gives one point for each group with the correct answer. 

CC Toss (pictured above)

     Materials:  6-12 numbered buckets/containers, a tennis ball or beanbag, review materials

     Procedure:

1.  CC Toss stands for Cooperative Competitive Toss.  Divide the class into two groups and line them up facing the buckets you have previously set up. 

2.  Pose a question/problem to the first two people in line.  Kids yell out the answer as soon as they have it.  The trick is to not tell if the person is right or wrong.  The second student has as long as they like to decide if they are right or wrong.  It is up to you if you want kids to be able to consult their teammates on this one.  If the first person is right and the second person correctly says they were, both kids get to toss the ball and you record the points.  If the first student is wrong and the second student knows this, the second team gets to toss the ball but not the first.  If the first team is right, but the second team thinks they are wrong, only the first team gets to toss the ball. 

Auctions and Non-Auctions

     Materials:  objects to auction off, a way to keep track of points (coupons, play money, charts, etc.), a chart

     Procedure:

1.  Traditional auctions are a competitive way to reward students.  The teacher gives play money or points and the children use these to purchase items at auction. 

2.  I also have non-auctions.  Before a non-auction, I will give kids a list of reinforcers and have them rank them from high to low.  Usually the reinforcers have a theme, like inside activities, outside activities, candy, or ice cream and toppings.  Using this information, I make up a chart that assigns values to these items.  The items or activities that the students ranked the highest will be the most expensive.  In a non-auction, anyone with the required number of points/tickets/coupons gets what they want.  So if everyone has enough money for a banana split, they all get a banana split.

 

     What are your favorite competitive and cooperative games?  Please share!