Communicative language teaching (CLT) is compatible with cooperative learning as both promote interaction through peer exchange. Cooperative education can take group work one step further and should therefore be incorporated into English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) writing classrooms. In English writing classes in a Japanese junior college, formal and informal types of group work were employed. Students first wrote on a theme for a real purpose--an essay, letter, poster, or article--which is then shared with classmates. Second, the tasks followed recognized cooperative task strategies, such as three-step interview, think-pair-share, roundtable, blackboard share. Through cooperative learning (CL), the teacher carefully plans a theme-based task which takes group work one step further into interdependent learning, where each student is accountable for writing together with his or her peers. By encouraging students to pool knowledge and background resources, they think more critically and synthesize information to develop a more in-depth understanding of a particular topic, as well as the sharing process. To ensure effective group work, the teacher has to monitor groups carefully to keep the conversation in English and be sure that the group does not rely on any single dominant or more advanced student. Teachers who want to maximize cooperative EFL learning need to become well versed in cooperative techniques, as well as language acquisition and group interaction. (Contains 14 references.) (KFT)