Why do students work in groups in CMP? How does the teacher know who is doing the work?
There is a consistent and substantial body of research indicating that when students engage in cooperative work on challenging problem solving tasks, their mathematical learning will be enhanced. Therefore, CMP materials have been designed to be suitable for use in cooperative learning instructional formats, as well as individual learning formats. The mathematical task determines the format of the problem. Teachers are assisted and advised in the teacher materials in planning for and executing both kinds of lesson designs. In fact, in any given lesson there is likely to be a blend of individual, group, and whole class activity. When students are working in groups the classroom looks very different from when they are working individually; and the teacher’s role is very different. However, group work is not the opposite of individual responsibility and accountability. Teachers can and do observe closely what individuals are doing and learning, while they monitor group progress. Each stud
