Group cooperation, inclusion and disaffected pupils: some responses to informal learning in the music classroom

Written version of RIME paper (GCID) for MER, Exeter 2007

only or mainly when it was asked for - rather than being taught in a more
instructional, more normal way.

All these issues warrant closer inspection (see Green 2008 for more details).
But to pick out what is most relevant for today’s presentation, many pupils suggested
that the relative absence of instruction from teachers actually had a beneficial effect,
not only on their enjoyment and their ability to learn, but also on their ability to work
together cooperatively as a group. We can surmise that, as well as having fun, choice
and so on, there was another, overarching reason for this: that the collective nature of
the learning task, and the fact that all group members had to make an input into the
final outcome, resulted in an organic type of group cohesion, in which negotiation and
success were in the interests of the members.

Contrast that to the hierarchical relationship which normally exists in teacher-
lead activities. For example, let’s say a teacher asks a class for an answer to a
question; several pupils put up their hands; one girl is selected to give the answer; she
gets it wrong; another girl is selected; she gets it right. As Slavin puts it (1995, p. 4),
interchanges such as that are likely to make pupils compete and want each other to
fail. But in cooperative learning, success depends upon every member of the group
getting it right. Therefore students want each other to succeed, and will help each
other to do so.

Inclusion: ability, achievement and differentiation

Some teachers were initially concerned that the project would not be accessible to
pupils with low ability. However, as time went by many teachers expressed surprise
that such pupils were taking part and achieving in ways they had not witnessed
before. For example:

-Debbie (Head of Music): Well it’s really weird, because one of the boys I was
thinking of who was singing, he gave up on guitar because he thought ‘Oh I’m
not going to do it’ ... And actually today ... he was one of the best guitarists
there; and he’s really low ability, he’s statemented [given additional support
and on the Special Needs register], he can hardly write his name. And this is

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