Inclusive Learning and Educational Equity 5

Appreciation of the Cooperation Value
Conventional teaching is primarily 
whole-class teaching, with the predominance of collective or individual work. This 
is also confirmed by the statement of one of the teachers:
Teacher Agnes: We teachers like this kind of whole-class teaching (...) it is also economical, 
conventional teaching, in the form of chatting, lecturing; we save tim
e. (Reflection with 
researcher, 27)
However, group work, although it was not unknown to the teachers or their stu-
dents participating in the project, did not occur very often during classes. The rea-
sons for this fact will be further explained, and attention will be paid here to 
appreciation of and breaking resistance to the group work by the participants of the 
teaching–learning process in the surveyed Class VI. Our observations at the project 
onset showed that the teachers were not very keen on following up the experience 
of organising students’ work in groups. Many times they emphasised in their inter-
views with researchers, most of whom have already had at least a dozen or so years 
of experience, that they appreciate the order in the lesson and a kind of silence that 
not only promotes concentration of students, but is even necessary for some of 
them, due to certain difficulties in functioning, and preferred by others:
Igor: It’s not that I don’t like them (other students). I just like to have peace and quiet, 
because sometimes when you work with someone, others make noise and sometimes there 
are arguments
. (Reflection with researcher, 24)
After the first lessons, the teachers clearly pointed out the shortcomings of 
group work:
Teacher Cecil: Some students had a problem with group communication—(there were) dif-
ferent ideas for a drawing (project)—(overcoming difficulty is) ability to compromise
. 
(Reflection with researcher, 29)
Teacher Agnes: I’ll try to achieve greater, superior work discipline. (Reflection with 
researcher, 27)
This statement showed that the students need training in collaborative techniques 
in a group, that finding compromise is an important skill they should learn and that 
the opportunity to do so is provided by working in a group.
Gradually, both teachers and students, appreciating the various qualities of group 
work, paid less attention to emerging difficulties in cooperation and sought to main-
tain this form of activity, necessarily working out ways to reach a compromise. Both 
teachers and students began to point out those qualities that were related to the 
development of: cognitive competence—acquiring and verifying knowledge, skills 
(practical knowledge processing), social skills—learning to cooperate, share knowl-
edge and help.
Teacher Cecil: The idea of group work (joint project-drawing) proved to be beneficial in this 
topic. The students memorise the contents of the lesson in a pleasant manner
. (…) The work 
was creative; they could plan themselves where their building will be (the facility specified 
in the task
). (Reflection with researcher, 29)
Teacher Agnes: They (the students), thanks to the fact that they can work in pairs or 
small groups learn to cooperate, and this is very important in later life
. (Reflection with 
researcher, 27)
J. Baran et al.

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Interestingly, the students talked much more about group work than the teachers, 
but it should be noted that the questions addressed to them were worded in such 
manner that they were directly related to this problem.
Kamil: It’s worth it, because if you say something wrong, another person can think along 
with you.
(Reflection with researcher, 21)
Adam: I could learn something and pose questions to others. (Reflection with 
researcher, 26)
Patryk: You can learn to be ingenious, for example how to work in groups and make 
something up
. (Reflection with researcher, 20)
Adam: Because we can work together, get to know one another, to learn what are our 
strengths and weaknesses. For example, I know that X is better with inventing things, and 
performs worse when he writes and draws
. (Reflection with researcher, 26)
Patryk: (By working together) you can learn and help one another (student). (Reflection 
with researcher, 20)
Lucek: Well, it’s worth it, because in the future it may come in handy at work too, we’re 
not likely to work alone
. (Reflection with researcher, 23)