If handled improperly, or if group work out-weighs individual learning, then I think it is a negative tool. A number of children might learn better from group learning, but I think it holds some students back from creative individualized thought. Also, there are those few students who do not like to participate and who obtain a grade they did not earn. Using positive reinforcements instead of punishment has been an effective teaching tool for quite for some time. I believe that students only learn if they are motivated and are willing to learn.
Motivation comes only through a child s want to do something.
And children want to do things when they know they are getting rewards. Rewards can be as simple as a smiley face on a good paper, or extra time playing computer games. Progressivists see students as molding clay in which they can be easily formed into a product of a basically good, knowledgeable human being. I believe that, as teachers, we should all strive to reach this goal. I think a student should leave a classroom with confidence and ability to create a better world for themselves and all of society.