A cooperative/ sociomoral atmosphere…is the key to effectively achieve the objectives of teaching.

◊ It is very important to establish a cooperative, sociomoral atmosphere? A cooperative, sociomoral atmosphere is considered to be an environment in which mutual respect is continually practice. Every classroom demands this kind of atmosphere This cooperative atmosphere is established between peers as well as children and adults. A cooperative, sociomoral atmosphere provides the opportunity for individuals to work together in groups, share thoughts and feelings, discuss issues, and contribute to the overall operations of the class. A constructivist teacher enthusiastically employs the findings of Bruner (1986) who explains that “learning is a cultural interchange between group members.” Collaboration creates an opportunity for learners to share their understandings with others and vice versa . This provides multiple perspectives to each learner, and this conciliation process between peers should lead to a better understanding. Vygotsky, in his work also highlights the unending relationship between peer to peer collaboration and children to adult collaboration. He uncovered a key feature which is known as the zone of proximal development. The zone of proximal development describes the gap between a student’s ability to perform a task under adult guidance and/or with peer collaboration and the student’s ability to solve the problem independently. The constructivist, promotes collaboration with adults and peers respectively in an attempt to maximize the potential of the students by getting them to identify their capabilities when working in a team. That goes to show how important it is to establish a cooperative, sociomoral atmosphere.