Teachers may need to intervene in the cooperative learning process to correct misunderstanding or misconceptions about an assignment, content subject, and strategies to use. Intervening can also show students how use social and cognitive skills correctly, and to encourage the good social and cognitive skills students already have.
While observing the groups, the teacher has to decide if intervention is necessary or not. It is very important to know when to intervene and how. If you deal with a problem that all the groups have the intervention must be made for the entire classroom.
When intervening the teacher should not tell students what to do. Instead the teacher joins the group, stop the action, points out the problem and asks group members to discuss the problem and find a solution together. You can point out the problem by telling student what you did notice, posing a straight question, or posing questions that make the student more focused on what they are doing so they can see the issue. The group has to come up with three solutions and decide which one to try first. If students cannot find the solution by themselves the teacher will need to guide them towards several methods. “Highlighting a problem may only create helplessness, demoralization, and frustration if students believe there is nothing they can do to solve it. Suggesting several strategies to choose from will empower students” (Johnson, Johnson, & Holubec 1998).
After intervening, send students back to work.
Reference
Johnson, D., Johnson, R.& Holubec, E. (1998).Cooperation in the classroom. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.