Positive interdependence
The term positive interdependence goes back to the US social psychologist Elliot Aronson (born January 9, 1932 ), who set up this principle with his colleagues in 1978. This is an expansion of his concept of structuring cooperative learning , which is primarily intended to reduce prejudices and to generate common knowledge. Positive interdependence is when people rely on each other in a positive way to achieve their goals. Using a concrete example of a learning situation , this would be comparable to group work in which each learner forms a link in the entire knowledge chain. This requires personal commitment from each individual and drives the success of the group forward. A corresponding phrase would be z. B. “One for all, all for one!”. It is imperative that the students are aware of the inevitable coupling of their findings with the group in order to successfully incorporate their personal, topic-related knowledge into the overall contribution.
Definition of terms
The concept of positive interdependence can be derived from the Latin dependere "to be dependent" and the meaning of inter in the sense of "among / with one another". Placing the positive in front means that the process within the learning group is dependent on the general success of all and is not based on a lone warrior. Thus, the statement “to be dependent on / among one another” is very appropriate and necessary for a complementary cooperation in the group.
Example: group puzzle
The positive interdependence can be illustrated well using the group puzzle method : It is one of the methods of cooperative group work and works on the basis of so-called individual responsibility (positive interdependence). The preparation of such a form of teaching begins with breaking down the learning material into sub-areas, which are then assigned to trained expert groups. They work out their learning goals in order to then present them to the others in a new group constellation, composed of an expert from each group. The point is to let each student take in the entire learning material without having been an expert in every field. This form trains the community and has a positive effect on personal responsibility.
amplifier
The dependency of the individual group members on each other is essential for the development of positive interdependence. One way of doing this is by setting common goals . What is important here is the notion that everyone must work equally target-oriented for the group in order to bring "the team" to success holistically . The positive interdependence grows with the increasing personal responsibility of the respective group members. Awareness of one's own responsibility creates a common identity in which the results achieved are shared. This in turn reinforces the positive interdependence among the group members.
Individual evidence
- ^ RT Johnson, DW Johnson, EJ Holubec: Cooperation in the Classroom . Allyn and Bacon, Boston 1998, pp. 4, 7-8.
- ↑ J. Choi, DW Johnson, RT Johnson: Relationships Among Cooperative Learning Experiences, Social Interdependence, Children's Aggression, Victimization, and Prosocial Behaviors . In: Journal of Applied Social Psychology . 41, No. 4, 2011, pp. 976-1003. doi : 10.1111 / j.1559-1816.2011.00744.x .