How do practice teachers employ cooperative learning strategy in a social studies teaching demonstration?

Cooperative learning is an educational strategy that encourages teamwork, creativity, and communication among students by having them work in groups for a common goal. This study aimed to describe how practice teachers employ cooperative learning strategies in a social studies teaching demonstration. A descriptive-qualitative research design was employed for this study. Data were gathered by utilizing an eight-point written interview guide, which was duly validated by the panel experts. The eight (8) social studies practice teachers who served as the informants of the study were selected through a purposeful sampling technique. Interviews were conducted through face-to-face and online interviews. Thematic analysis was employed in analyzing the data. Four (4) major significant themes and 12 meaningful categories emerged namely: (1) Fostering academic progress; Stimulating knowledge, Gaining high score & Improving student performance; (2) Promoting skills to learners; Role taking, Critical thinking, Developing collaboration & Expressing creativity (3) Managing the learning classroom; Helping practice teacher facilitate learning, Encouraging student-centered approach & Building rapport and (4) Addressing learning gaps; Establishing equal class participation & Embracing individual differences. This emphasizes that the implementation of cooperative learning strategies plays a pivotal role in the learning process and provides a student-centered environment.