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Table 3.2 The Ten Commitments
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I promise to do my share of work with pleasure and delight. 
I will be brave to express myself in my group. My opinions do count. 
I will be sensitive to my learning. If I find any problem or difficulty, I will turn to 
my teammates for help immediately. 
When my classmates are doing their presentation, I will encourage them with my big 
smile and attentive eyes. 
I am willing to help my classmates and teammates when they need me. 
I will write “thank-you” note to one of my classmates and teammates after each class. 
I will learn how to show my appreciation in words and in deeds to anyone who helps 
me in or after class. 
I will learn how to catch my classmates while they are doing something good. 
I will respect the differences between my classmates and me. 
I promise to enjoy every minute of our English class by smiling happily all the time. 
On the other hand, the Ten Commandments were like regulations on 
self-control for what they should not do in their teams. Each group might have 
different regulations regarding the Ten Commandments. A typical Ten 
Commandments made by one of the groups was provided as an example in Table 
3.3. 
Table 3.3 The Ten Commandments 
I will not be late to turn in my homework. 
I will not laugh at my teammates when they make mistakes. 
I will not sleep in class. 
I will not chat with teammates during group discussion. 
I will not shout at my teammates when I am talking to them. 
I will not take things from other teammates’ desk without permission. 
I will not kick others’ feet under the table. 
I will not eat garlic when we have English class. 
I will not stay up late the night before English class. 
I will not swing my chair while seated. 
After the students worked out their Ten Commitments as well as the Ten 
Commandments, Ms. Lee then put all of the group vows on the bulletin board in the 
classroom. In the beginning of the first few lessons, Ms. Lee would ask the 
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The original rules were spelled out in Chinese by the students and was translated into English by the 
researcher. 

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students to repeat their rules loudly before they started their English class. The 
purpose of repeating all the rules and vows was for habit formation of self-control, 
discipline, and learner autonomy. When students got accustomed to this 
student-centered learning climate, the oral repetition of the rules could be omitted. 
3.2.2.2 Role Assignments 
After the formation of six heterogeneous groups and the process of 
teambuilding, each member in the group was given a particular role to play. Role 
assignment for each group member in cooperative learning context is another major 
feature that distinguishes cooperative learning from regular group learning. The 
designation and rotation of role assignment for each student can avoid the 
occurrence of free riders or potential complaint of overloading from some 
above-achievers. The job description of each role was explained clearly and 
explicitly to the students. Adapted from Kagan (1989), the responsibility of each 
role was explained in detail in Table 3.4.