Jigsaw

Jigsaw is a peer exercise that quickly gets students working together, developing expertise, and learning how to explain for understanding.

Quote from Liz Charles, Dawson College

What is it?

Jigsaw is a instructional strategy that starts by creating different areas of expertise within small groups of students. This expertise is then shared with other students to assemble the sum of their knowledge into a greater whole.

It starts by breaking a large topic (task or complex problem) into sub-topics and assigning a different sub-topic to each group. Each group works together to research/investigate their sub-topic to become an ‘expert’ group of individuals (Step 1). The expert individuals are then re-grouped into new groups, comprised of several different sub-topic experts (Step 2). Each sub-topic expert presents their information, and, together they integrate their individual knowledge into the new group’s collective understanding, usually with the goal of completing an assignment.

Purpose: Using a jigsaw strategy promotes knowledge assembly, critical thinking and synthesis on a topic (task or complex problem).

Skills Promoted

Analytical reasoning
Communication
Knowledge integration
Team work
Co-regulation
Time management

Who's using it?

SALTISE community members who use this strategy and are willing to share advice and/or resources.

Institution	Discipline	Instructor	Classroom settings
Concordia University Level: University	Social Sciences	Philippe Caignon	Traditional Classroom Classroom size: All sizes View resources used
Concordia University Level: University	Biology	Madoka Gray-Mitsumune	Traditional Classroom Classroom size: All sizes View resources used
University of Guelph Level: University	Environmental Science	Jamie Miller	Traditional Classroom Classroom size: 30 View resources used
McGill University Level: University	Engineering	Chris Moraes	Traditional Classroom Classroom size: 75-95 View resources used
John Abbott College Level: College	Physics	Greg Mulcair	Active Learning Classroom Classroom size: 30-40 View resources used

Institution	Concordia University Level: University	Concordia University Level: University	University of Guelph Level: University	McGill University Level: University	John Abbott College Level: College
Discipline	Social Sciences	Biology	Environmental Science	Engineering	Physics
Instructor	Philippe Caignon	Madoka Gray-Mitsumune	Jamie Miller	Chris Moraes	Greg Mulcair
Classroom settings	Traditional Classroom Classroom size: All sizes View resources used	Traditional Classroom Classroom size: All sizes View resources used	Traditional Classroom Classroom size: 30 View resources used	Traditional Classroom Classroom size: 75-95 View resources used	Active Learning Classroom Classroom size: 30-40 View resources used

Why use it?

Benefits

Jigsaw is a effective way to replace a content-heavy lecture with an activity that is more engaging and encourages deeper thinking. Students enjoy becoming “subject experts” and are very enthusiastic about teaching their peers. Allowing them to teach each other gives students a sense of responsibility and shared learning. Also the benefits of a Jigsaw activity enables students to investigate everyday devices (or topics) they use to develop core competencies in a course. In addition active learning helps students explore these competencies in a very interactive and stimulating way.

Challenges

For some students this activity may not be suitable if they have difficulty performing peer-instruction. Another drawback is depending on students to deliver the concepts of the course. Sometimes there can be misconceptions or mistakes that can make it confusing for students trying to learn from other students. Furthermore, if there is a weak group, the topic doesn’t get covered as well as other topics.

Ready to try it out?

STEP 1: Instructor divides students into small groups of three to six students.

STEP 2: Instructor prepares an assignment and divides it into as many parts as there are students in each group. Each member of the group is assigned a portion of the assignment or research project to complete.

STEP 3: In groups, students:

research the material(s) pertaining to their section of the assignment and
prepare to discuss it with their classmates.

STEP 4: Students form temporary “expert groups” with others who have been assigned the same portion of the project and

discuss the material they have covered and
prepare to present this material to their original “jigsaw” group.

STEP 5: Students return to their original “jigsaw” group and present the material they have covered.

STEP 6: Using their collective knowledge, students complete their assignment.

STEP 7: Instructor evaluates the completed assignment.

OPTION: Additional assessment of students’ knowledge (individual or group) can be added.

Download Flowchart

Helpful resources

Key figure(s) in the field

Ed Hutchins, University of California, San Diego: Distributed Cognition Theory
Ann Brown, University of California at Berkley

Tech Tools

Jigsaw collaborative learning activity on smart notebook

References

Perkins, D. V. and Saris, R. N. (2001). A “jigsaw classroom” technique for undergraduate Statistics courses. Teaching of Psychology.

Gömleksi, M. N. (2007). Effectiveness of cooperative learning (jigsaw II) method in teaching English as a foreign language to engineering students (Case of Firat University, Turkey). European Journal of Engineering Education, Taylor & Francis..

Karacop, A. and Doymus, K. (2013). Effects of jigsaw cooperative learning and animation techniques on students’ understanding of chemical bonding and their conceptions of the particulate nature. Journal of Science Education and Technology, Springer..

Doymus, K. (2008). Teaching chemical bonding through jigsaw cooperative learning. Research in Science & Technological Education, Taylor & Francis.

Lai, C. Y. and Wu, C. C. (2006). Using handhelds in a jigsaw cooperative learning environment. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, Wiley Online Library.

Hutchins, E. (2006). The distributed cognition perspective on human interaction. Roots of human sociality: Culture, cognition and interaction, 1, 375.

Rogers, Y. and Ellis, J. (1994). Distributed cognition: an alternative framework for analysing and explaining collaborative working. Journal of information technology, 9(2), 119-128.

Video

Using Jigsaw With Texts – Harvard University, Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, Social sciences discussion

TO LEARN MORE

For more resources go to Articles and Books