Running head: A LOOK AT THE JIGSAW METHOD IN THE CLASSROOM

A Look at the Jigsaw Method in the Classroom

Erica Berry
University of North Texas

A LOOK AT THE JIGSAW METHOD IN THE CLASSROOM

Abstract

The Jigsaw Method is not as well-known as it should be, nor is it as fully used as it could be. It
can be of great use in a long, multiple text unit, or even helpful when breaking down roles in a
group project. It builds social skills, community discussion and allows for higher level thinking
skills. It has also proven helpful for providing diversification in times of self- segregation. Jigsaw
method can be used within a range of topics, subjects and curriculums, and all across the board
we are running into more positive impacts and benefits that this method is creating.
Keywords: Jigsaw, benefits

A LOOK AT THE JIGSAW METHOD IN THE CLASSROOM

Introduction
Cooperative learning has quickly become a favored and highly recommended method of
teaching; however, there are many offshoots and models of cooperative learning. The General
Cooperative Learning model, the Jigsaw Model and the Graffiti Cooperative Learning Model are
three popular models that demonstrate exactly what a student needs in a learning environment:
engagement. The cooperative learning models are helpful because they do more than just teach
content standards, they promote everyday life situations. When on the job, in school or on the
street, people have to interact and work as a team to accomplish things- cooperative learning
allows students to learn in a manner that mimics real life and prepares them for the real world.
Doing this contributes valuable social learning skills and gives students an opportunity to
participate in their own learning. This model of instruction is wonderful for examining all levels
of teaching, whether it is factual, procedural, conceptual and metacognitive knowledge- it can be
applied in a wide variety of ways. This is especially helpful when learning across curriculums
and even in diverse environments. The encouragement of positive relationships, the
strengthening of self-esteem, the cultivating of critical thinking and reinforcing inclusive
practices are all integral parts of learning, and are the main benefits of using cooperative learning
strategies.
Description of the Model
The model being highlighted is the Jigsaw Model. It is very easy to understand, and it
encompasses all the great benefits found in cooperative learning. There are 7 easy, quick steps to
the Jigsaw model and they start with explaining the model, how it works and the necessary roles
within the different groups. Once this has been explained and you have clarified, make sure to
emphasize the targeted social skill and make it clear how you will be assessing that skill. Next,

A LOOK AT THE JIGSAW METHOD IN THE CLASSROOM

the teacher will need to assign home groups of at least 4-6 and then within the home groups, give
each of those people an expert group so that they are all in a different expert group than each
other. Once you have brought the expert groups together, give the assignment, including the goal
and time to be completed. After these groups have become experts in their assignment, they will
go back to their home groups and teach the other members from each of their specific expertise.
The sixth step should be integrated as you go along, but it ensures that each group member has
an individual amount of accountability and a group accountability. The last step is to measure
and evaluate based on the final assessment, and it is essential to acknowledge the best
performing group so that motivation is always a factor.
Research that Supports the Model
In Using annotation services in a ubiquitous Jigsaw cooperative learning environment,
researchers Hsieh, Huang and Huang experiment with the cooperative learning strategy Jigsaw
method to test both the strategy and the annotation method with popular technologies. After
conducting an experiment with the annotation method SQ3R by dividing up into Jigsaw groups,
the researchers found that the results revealed that Jigsaw helped learners expand their
knowledge and gain a deeper understanding for the topic.
Francesca Pozzi has written in her article, Using Jigsaw And Case Study For Supporting
Online Collaborative Learning, that Jigsaw fosters cooperation and discussion in a learning
community... where it is used quite frequently with face to face context and in online learning
(2010, p. 68). What she addresses even further with her research is which type of collaborative
learning is better for an online environment. After studying two similar classes, one with a case
study and one with Jigsaw as part of the online collaboration, she finds that there is more of a
varied and productive amount of higher thinking skills and processes being used with Jigsaw

A LOOK AT THE JIGSAW METHOD IN THE CLASSROOM

than with the Case Study. She finds that the more structured process leads to more relevant and
depth of reasoning. The structure of the Jigsaw method also allowed for more active
participation; however, individual reasoning and social dimensions are improved on with a less
structured environment, like a case study. Pozzi found that when sticking to one group over a
long period of time, the group forms an attachment to each other and can more easily discuss and
share with this type of collaborative learning.
Although many teachers imagine the Jigsaw method in an English classroom, or in study
groups, it is very helpful in all different fields of study. Donald Slish examines this possibility
with his experiment, Assessment of the use of the Jigsaw Method and Active Learning in Nonmajors, Introductory Biology. He sets up his freshman, Introductory Biology course as an
experiment in an effort to reach these students with poor study habits. Teaching different parts of
the course with the passive lecture technique and other parts with the Jigsaw method, he was able
to compare results with pretests and posttests. He even used surveys to understand which ones
students like better and why. Slish found that the two methods seemed to match up when it came
to results in the short term, and that Jigsaw seemed to neither hurt, nor help. However, in the
long-term, students retained more information and gained a better grasp of critical thinking. He
also found that students claimed they learned more in the Jigsaw method, but were inhibited by
students who did not participate or slacked off; therefore, they preferred the passive method, so
other students would have to carry their own weight. From this, Slish deduced that to be
successful with the Jigsaw method, there definitely has to be a type of individual level
assessment.
The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education published an article titled, When Racial
Diversity on Campus Is Only Skin Deep: Could the "Jigsaw Classroom" Teaching Method Break

A LOOK AT THE JIGSAW METHOD IN THE CLASSROOM

Down Self-Segregation. This article seems to address a problem that many universities are
encountering and seeking a solution to: self-segregation and lack of diversity in higher education.
Graduate student Devon Williams suggests a solution to this problem. He claims that using a
Jigsaw classroom as a stable and ongoing structure within each class will be a starting point.
The structure of a homogeneous group breaking into expert groups, considered heterogeneous,
will promote better race relations where students can learn from others they normally would not
have. It has been noted that the Jigsaw method has seen much success regarding this idea in K-12
education, and should work well in the university setting, stating that the idea behind the jigsaw
classroom is to get students from all racial and ethnic groups working together on a common
topic in a cooperative situation (2004, pg. 37). It is also made clear that, although this has been
productive method in K-12, it does not work as well in the universities because of a noted lack of
diversity.
Recommendations for Use
When teaching a in a diverse learning environment, teachers can find it hard to create
ways to bring their students together. Even when working on the smallest project, if there is a
way to break it up into parts, then there is a way to create a jigsaw out of it- and this, in essence
is the first step to bringing a diverse, or even non-diverse, class together.
It is great for big, chunked projects and allows for practice of the concept, rather than just
stuffing of facts into a students brain. Students will be able to refine their critical thinking skills
on a deeper level, and apply them quickly, rather than over and over, shallowly and without
feedback or quick informal assessment.

A LOOK AT THE JIGSAW METHOD IN THE CLASSROOM

Jigsaw will allow for smaller group learning, discussion and still promote structure that
allows for a teacher led environment. It is a great compromise between many methods, and
allows for adaption for subject, environment and teacher.

A LOOK AT THE JIGSAW METHOD IN THE CLASSROOM

References
Hsieh, M., Huang, Y., & Huang, T. (2008). Using annotation services in a ubiquitous Jigsaw
cooperative learning environment . Educational Technology & Society, 11(2), 3-15.
Retrieved November 16, 2013, from the JSTOR database.
Pozzi, F. (2010). Using Jigsaw And Case Study For Supporting Online Collaborative Learning.
Computers & Education, 55(1), 67-75.
Slish, D. (2005). Assessment of the use of the Jigsaw Method and Active Learning in Nonmajors, Introductory Biology. Bioscene, 31(4), 4-10. Retrieved November 17, 2013,
from the ERIC database.
(2004). When Racial Diversity on Campus Is Only Skin Deep: Could the "Jigsaw Classroom"
Teaching Method Break Down Self-Segregation. The Journal of Blacks in Higher
Education, 45, 36-38. Retrieved November 16, 2013, from the JSTOR database.