Plain English Meaning

A teaching approach where students learn in small teams. They work on a task together, help each other understand it, and each person is still graded or checked on their own knowledge — not just the group's result.

Full Definition

An instructional method in which students work together in small groups to achieve shared learning goals, with each member responsible both for their own learning and for helping the others in the group learn. The instructor structures the activity, assigns roles or tasks, and holds each student individually accountable while the group works toward a common outcome.

Context Anchor

Seen in aviation instructor training when choosing how to teach a lesson, run a ground-school activity, or have students work through a flight-planning problem together.

Derivation

Cooperative comes from the Latin cooperari, meaning 'to work together.' The name signals the idea: learning happens through structured teamwork, not just side-by-side seatwork.