The theory and practice of cooperative learning is based on the principle that we can learn from each other as well as from a teacher and that one of the most important tasks of a teacher is to create sufficient classroom opportunities for such learning to take place. Cooperative learning underlines that if students want to succeed as a team, they will encourage their teammates to excel and will help them to do so. Students work together to learn and are responsible for their teammates' learning as well. They will for instance explain difficult ideas to one another by translating the teacher's language into kid language.
Students work together in teams to master material initially presented by the teacher .
Their aim is to meet a preset criterion. The teams are heterogeneous, made up of high, average and low achievers, boys and girls, and students of different ethnic groups. After having a chance to study a subject in their teams, students take individual quizzes. The students' quiz scores are added up. All teams whose average scores meet a high criterion receive a special recognition.