Cooperative Learning in Afghan Teacher Training Colleges : The usage of cooperative learning in English teaching and learning

Sammanfattning: Education in Afghanistan is burgeoning and new educational systems are being introduced to promote students’ learning achievement, not least in teacher training colleges (TTC). As a matter of fact, TTCs play a vital role in improving the quality of teaching and learning in schools. Therefore, the Ministry of Education has a big responsibility in increasing teachers’ pedagogical knowledge and equipping them with various learner-centred techniques. Cooperative learning (CL), which is the field of the present study, focuses on students’ social interactions in the classrooms and their learning in a cooperative manner. The Ministry of Education is dedicated to develop teachers’ knowledge, skills and attitudes as regards active learning methods in schools. CL is one way to increase students’ involvement in their own learning. This study aimed at exploring teacher educators’ and teacher-students’ perceptions about CL as wells as to investigate some CL practices in English teaching at TTCs. Two types of structured data collections tools were used in this study; questionnaires for teachers and students as well as a classroom observation form. In general, this study ended up with many interesting findings. Nearly everyone in the current study emphasized upon the importance of CL in promoting students’ English learning achievement and believed that it also improves students’ social relationships. It was also found that CL diminishes students’ language anxiety and makes them feel more comfortable when interacting with one another in group works. A certain number of CL methods were also practiced in English classrooms. In fact, the study revealed that the teachers and students in TTCs are adopting the change from conventional teaching and learning approaches to modern ones like CL, which is a positive initiative for a big change towards a productive educational system in Afghanistan. However, teacher educators still need to learn a lot about CL in order to apply it effectively in their classrooms. Their improper application of CL activities in their classes is the indicative features of their insufficient CL knowledge as well as their unfamiliarity with many other CL methods except a few.