PIGS

When teaching a cooperative lesson, you look towards the word PIGS for guidance. In a cooperative lesson, the students work together as a team to accomplish the given assignment. There may be an "I" in PIGS, but there is no "I" in team!

P: Positive Interdependence
I: Individual Accountability
G: Group Processing
S: Social Skills & Face to Face Interaction

Positive Interdependence is a sink or swim attitude. All the students in the group depend on each other, and the task can't be complete without the help of everyone. It is putting your heads together, coming up with a common purpose, and sharing ideas on how to get there.

Individual Accountability means that a student needs to be accountable for themselves even though they are a part of a group. If you are accountable for yourself and doing your best work, then the other students will want to do their best work too.

Group Processing is when the members of the group assess themselves and their group as a whole. This brings up the individual accountability because they know they will be giving and receiving feedback about how they worked together. This builds teamwork skills and also helps the students know what they did fantastic and what needs a little work.

Social Skills and Face to Face Interaction consists of eye contact, positive feedback and sharing ideas. Face to face interaction is helpful in boosting both efficiency and commitment to the other group members. Four skills are needed for this: forming, functioning, formulating, and fermenting.

All of these aspects go hand in hand when put together. The students work as a team, but they are still responsible for themselves. Each member wants to be responsible for themselves because of the feedback they give and receive at the end of the lesson. This leads to more effective teamwork, in which it lasts a lifetime.