Competition Vs. Cooperation
School-age is often the time when children experience competition. Cooperation involves a winner and a loser, while on the other hand, cooperation entails children working as a team. It can happen in different settings such as in academic work, sports and even in the children’s families or communities. Because of the prevalence of cooperation and competition, the two aspects significantly affect children’s development relative to which predominates. This analytical monograph expounds on the value and danger of cooperation, cooperative learning principles and strategies to improve positive development and growth in children aged twelve years.
Competition has various values. First, it provides an environment where children stretch their limits and achieve what they could not if the competitive other was not present. Therefore, it results in increased performance in the aspects it is involved in, for instance, in classwork and sports. Additionally, competition prepares children to handle loss later in life. Losing can make a child depressed or stressed. The benefit is that when the child mitigates the challenge, they learn how to address it when it recurs in future stages. Besides, losing teaches children perseverance.
However, competition can result in counterproductive deeds. For instance, a child can fail to help the other in their sporting or cooking skills since they could turn into a competitor. Besides, competition could lead to a misjudged perception. Children who take part in sports and lose might consider themselves failures. Furthermore, the need to win can create a cheating culture. Parents, teachers, coaches, and other stakeholders can help children manage the dangers of competition in several ways. First, they can ensure that they praise the positive part of being involved in the negative when children are involved in competitive situations. Secondly, parents should be realistic about the level of achievement expected from their children. Realistic expectations will reduce the emotional pressure, which might arise if they lose. Hence, they will protect children from stress and depression. Moreover, stakeholders should focus on nurturing abilities and talents as opposed to winning. Skill command should be the prominence in children’s activities.
Rather than competition, cooperative learning principles encourage the utilization of groups among children in learning environments. There are five main cooperative learning principles. The first is positive interdependence. It helps students to view each of the member’s efforts as necessary for the success of the group. The principle of equal participation provides that no student should dominate others in group work. The third is individual accountability. It ensures that each must be accountable for their role in the group’s success. Fourth is heterogeneous grouping. The principle encourages groups with mixed variables such as intelligence, religion, sex, personality, among others. The last is promotive interaction, and it is implemented by children empowering themselves by acts such as resources and praise. Cooperative learning improves achievement, positive relationships, and creates a society that appreciates diversity. Moreover, cooperative learning eliminates the adverse effects associated with competition.
Moreover, it is necessary to employ practices that translate into positive development and growth. For instance, teachers can address deviant behavior. In group settings, one of the students can begin criticizing the other to which more members copy if it is not tackled. Also, teachers should assess a group’s work. Grading teamwork on various aspects such as open communication, provision of feedback, discipline, and frequency of helping each other makes group members appreciate the significance of appropriate team behavior