Learning based on cooperative in pre-school education: Teacher 'views and applications

One of the methods used in pre-school education institutions for children to achieve the desired learning is Cooperative Learning. This research, which aims to determine pre-school education teachers' views on cooperative learning and practice, is a basic qualitative study. The study group consisted of 18 preschool education teachers in Kars province in 2017-2018 academic year, 10 of which worked in 6 kindergartens, 7 of them working in kindergartens in 5 primary schools and 1 of them working in kindergarten in middle school. The data were analyzed with demographic information form, semi-structured interview, structured observation and activity plan analyzes and analyzed with descriptive analysis and document analysis method. According to the findings, most of the teachers defined cooperative learning as aiding and cluster study. They stated that these practices contribute to the social- emotional development of children and that they develop their skills of communication and adaptation, they prefer these practices in most art activities and that it is difficult for children to not cooperate while performing these practices. In observations and activity plan studies, it was seen that teachers encouraged children to work together, intervened in necessary places, supported multidimensional communication among children within the group, and there were similarities between collaborative learning plans and their applications.