Kagan

=**Kagan**=

[|Kagan] is a professional development program that looks to encourage engagement, from the educator and the students. It is a cooperative learning program that uses a variety of structures such as, Timed pair share, RallyRobin, quiz-quiz-trade and numbered heads together. These structures are used across all areas of the curriculum to boost student engagement and learning. Kagan focuses on engaging //every// student, they believe that the more students "interact with their peers and with the curriculum, the more they'll learn. Kagan Structures require every student to participate frequently and approximately equally. Kagan Structures close the achievement gap by creating dramatic gains for struggling students." (Kagan 2011)

So what is a Kagan structure? "A Kagan structure is a content-free, repeatable sequence of steps designed to structure the interaction of students with each other and/or the curriculum in ways which align with basic principles and efficiently realize specific learning outcomes." (Kagan, 2000) Kagan structures promote, Positive independence, Individual accountability, Equal participation and Simultaneous interaction. The structures also build cooperative learning. This is a "powerful way of creating the inclusive classroom/school. It raises the quality first teaching allowing all students to contribute in a way that can make them feel significant." (KaganAustralia, 2011)

Kagan looks at developing the teacher's strategies and resources, adopting a cooperative learning environment for //all lessons// rather than //a cooperative lesson.// I feel having access to the structures provided by Kagan I will be able to better engage all the students in my class, students from all age and ability ranges are able to benefit from a more engaging and interactive teaching style. Although it is an expensive program to establish on a whole school professional development scale, the resources including charts, books, clocks etc are fantastic and are available individually from most educational supplier shops or online and would be a very worth while investment.

References: Kagan Australia (2011) //Professional Learning for teachers// Retrieved from:[] 26/7/2011

Kagan (2011) //Its all about engagement!// Retrieved from:[] 26/7/2011

Kagan, S (2000) //Kagan structures- not one more program. A better way to teach any program.// Kagan online magazine, Fall 2000 Retrieved from:[] 26/7/2011

Kagan, S (2003) //A brief history of Kagan structures// Kagan online magazine, Spring 2003. Retrieved from: [] 26/7/2011