Jigsaw: An Engaging Collaborative Learning Method

 

Teachers are constantly trying to find new ways to engage students and enhance their understanding of what they are learning. The Jigsaw method is a great way for students to work together and build on their knowledge by learning from each other.

This Social Interactive Model consists of 4 components:

Positive Interdependence

Individual Accountability

Group Processing

Social Skills

Each of these components are expressed throughout this method. In order to learn more about this method as well as act out how the students would perform this method, Dr. Smirnova placed  us into 5 groups none as our home groups. In our home groups, each us were given a role. We each chose a component to focus on. My role was the Lesson Plan aspect of Collaborative Learning.

We were split again into our expert groups. These groups contained the people from the other groups who were doing the same role that I was doing. We each split up the sections of the Lesson Plan that we would focus on and composed a PowerPoint presentation.

 

By the next class, we all got into our home groups and each took a turn showing our presentations to each other. As experts on our specific topics, we needed to teach the rest of the group what we had learned in order for the rest of the members to gain a better understanding of our topic. Each expert group also composed a small quiz for the group members to take individually to test on what they have learned.

 

I think that this was an excellent way for us to understand what the purpose of Jigsaw is and how to demonstrate the Jigsaw method in the classroom. Every person in the group becomes a puzzle piece and must solve the task that each person is given in order to connect the puzzle as well as reach an entire result. It is important for students to be responsible for their own work when they are learning as well as build on their knowledge from their peers. I will definitely be using this in my future classrooms and I recommend all teachers to do the same!