268). In this way, it is not a single teaching strategy or even wholly reducible to a strategy; one writer suggests cooperative learning is, rather, a way of thinking that reshapes how teachers teach and how learners learn (Calderton, 1990, p. 9).
Having defined cooperative learning in relation to other learning modes, this essay will now discuss the often-cited advantages of cooperative learning, as well as the less well-known disadvantages. However, it is first important to acknowledge that cooperative learning is currently well highly regarded in the broader community of practicing educators: all the encouraging literature on the strategy has been assimilated into popular thought. This is evidenced by one study (Lopata et al, 2003) , whose purpose was to examine self-reported relative use of cooperative learning among exemplar teachers against a level that they themselves reported to be preferable. The study showed in its results that the exemplar teachers' overall actual use of cooperative learning fell significantly below the level that they wished to be practicing it. Decreased use of cooperative learning among this group of teachers might be considered surprising given the advanced knowledge and skill, as well as constructivist practices, that have characterized exemplar teachers. .
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Although specific data were not collected on the reasons for use, or lack of use, teachers" selection of instructional strategies can be affected by many factors. For example, increased pressure to meet academic standards using individualized tests might detract from the group-oriented procedures that characterize cooperative learning. Other factors that can affect teacher selection of instructional strategies are class size and students" behavioral problems. Some of these findings might be considered surprising because they appear to be inconsistent with associated literature on teacher characteristics and teaching practices.