Jigsaw Classroom

Posted on by Nattasit Dancholvichit

PURPOSE

To gamify learning by breaking up classroom content into “pieces” that students work with in order to create a complete idea. 

DESCRIPTION

Content is divided into “pieces” that provide information or prompts but are incomplete on their own. Students then work with the pieces to learn more information and collaborate to fit the pieces into a complete picture or idea. 

UNDERLYING EDUCATIONAL THEORIES

cooperative learning, gamification of learning, active learning 

PEDAGOGICAL BENEFITS 

  • Students can take ownership of their learning by purposefully interacting with the puzzle pieces. 
  • “Playing” with the different pieces can motivate students to engage more deeply with the material. 
  • Collaborating with peers to fit the pieces together helps students to develop teamwork and social skills. 
  • Collaborating with peers fosters accountability and responsibility among students. 
  • Students can develop a shared understanding of the material, which supports equal opportunity for their learning. 

STRATEGIES FOR IMPLEMENTATION 

  1. In developing a lesson plan, separate your content into segments that can be summarized by 1-2 main takeaways/ideas. Use these ideas to develop separate pieces, but make sure to withhold enough information so that students can “discover” more when they work with the pieces. 
  2. Consider how students will make the discovery. Do they complete a prompt or activity? Will they each have information that their peers need to retrieve? 
  3. Ensure that the collection of pieces provides sufficient understanding of the material. 
  4. Prepare guidelines and plan time to explain the activity to students and answer any questions that may arise.  
  5. Consider how the activity will be assessed. Will grades be individual or team-based? 
  6. Plan for whole-class discussion time to reflect on the activity and check students’ understanding of the material. Consider using a post-test to evaluate the effectiveness of their interaction with the pieces. 

REFERENCES AND FURTHER READING 

Hance, M. (8-Oct, 2016). The Jigsaw Method Teaching Strategy. TeachHub.com. https://www.teachhub.com/teaching-strategies/2016/10/the-jigsaw-method-teaching-strategy/. 

Maceiras, R., Cancela, A., Urréjola, S., & Sanchez, A. (2011). Experience of cooperative learning in engineering. European Journal of Engineering Education, 36(1), 13-19.