The Sung Tak School experience Sitting in the classroom, twenty P.4 students were divided into five groups. In their Mathematics lesson on decimal calculation, students of different ability levels were separated into groups where they worked on their assignments, first individually and then subsequently with other group members. Great emphasis was placed on collective effort and mutual support among the team in the course of completing an assignment. Appreciation, in the forms of clapping hands and cheering up team-mates and other teams, were also encouraged. The essential features of co-operative learning are that learning and improvement are achieved through group effort. Discussion, encouragement and assessment are the means to help individual students develop a more profound knowledge and better understanding.

"Co-operative learning is an effective way to solve the problem of learning ability discrepancies among students. More capable students, standing out in the heterogeneous group play the role of 'little teachers'. In offering their support to group members who encounter learning difficulties, 'little teachers' help the group improve as a whole. They also consolidate their own knowledge and enhance their own effectiveness in learning."