Learning Through Cooperation in the Activities of 1st-Grade Pupils (7 Years Old) Using the Lesson Study Methodology: The Case of One Lithuanian School

The aim of the study is to describe the behavior of 1st-grade pupils (7 years old) when they work together in small groups of 3, based on data from teacher observation protocols. This article aims to reveal the characteristics of cooperative learning among 1st-grade primary school pupils. Teachers in 1st grade often avoid doing this, arguing that pupils are too young and unable to work and learn together with others. In order to reveal the deeper aspects of cooperative learning, a Lesson study methodology was chosen, and elements of cooperative learning were developed in three different 1st-grade mathematics classes at the same school, teaching the same content. The participants were all first-grade pupils in the school (82 pupils in 1st grade in total) and their 3 teachers. The research data was collected by teachers filling out protocols for observing pupils’ cooperation. The empirical part presents a qualitative content analysis of the observation sheets filled in by the teachers, revealing the experiences of cooperative learning in all three episodes of the Lesson study. The results show that 7-year-olds were able to work smoothly in cooperative groups of three because they were able to get along and help each other.