roles and effects of group members, ways in which each participant felt helped or hindered in their mathematical thinking, group solving strategies, etc” (Sheehy, 2004, p. 175). Sheehy first identified the binary tensions that were identified and felt by the participants during cooperative, mathematical problem solving experiences. Sheehy found that binary tensions occurred within three general components of cooperative learning: the environment, the group members and the individual. size, number and “The access to manipulatives along with roles that group members took on were the aspects of the environment promoting or creating self/other tensions. Issues of being polite (or being selfish), sharing (not sharing) ideas, resisting (or submitting to) perceived power were raised by the participants as potentially problematic aspects of working with group members and were often difficult to reconcile. As the participants reflected on and discussed the notion of individuality within a cooperative group, they agreed that both a desire for individual ownership of the mathematics and a subsequent search for autonomy led to yet other binary tensions (Sheehy, 2004, p. 175). Sheehy found that self/other ” binary tensions limit individual mathematical activity. Next, I briefly discuss how the five characteristics of Johnson and Johnson that might promote self/other binary tensions. Positive Interdependence: Positive interdependence is promoted by creating specific roles for students, providing one set of manipulatives or materials to force students to work together, and creating the goal of one joint task. Sheehy found that these strategies could also be tools that diminish a student’s autonomy within a group. Sheehy suggested that the sink and we swim together” motto for groups can foster an individual/group “We tension which is difficult for students to resolve. an environment is clearly “When
roles and effects of group members, ways in which each participant felt helped or hindered in their mathematical thinking, group solving strategies, etc” (Sheehy, 2004, p. 175). Sheehy first identified the binary tensions that were identified and felt by the participants during cooperative, mathematical problem solving experiences. Sheehy found that binary tensions occurred within three general components of cooperative learning: the environment, the group members and the individual. “The size, number and access to manipulatives along with roles that group members took on were the aspects of the environment promoting or creating self/other tensions. Issues of being polite (or being selfish), sharing (not sharing) ideas, resisting (or submitting to) perceived power were raised by the participants as potentially problematic aspects of working with group members and were often difficult to reconcile. As the participants reflected on and discussed the notion of individuality within a cooperative group, they agreed that both a desire for individual ownership of the mathematics and a subsequent search for autonomy led to yet other binary tensions ” (Sheehy, 2004, p. 175). Sheehy found that self/other binary tensions limit individual mathematical activity. Next, I briefly discuss how the five characteristics of Johnson and Johnson that might promote self/other binary tensions. Positive Interdependence: Positive interdependence is promoted by creating specific roles for students, providing one set of manipulatives or materials to force students to work together, and creating the goal of one joint task. Sheehy found that these strategies could also be tools that diminish a student’s autonomy within a group. Sheehy suggested that the “We sink and we swim together” motto for groups can foster an individual/group tension which is difficult for students to resolve. “When an environment is clearly