SLS-Jigsaw Method

Strategy #1: Jigsaw (1.20)

The jigsaw method has an effect size of 1.20, which means that if it’s done right and often, students will grow three years in the space of one academic year.

The method also has other benefits, including:

  • Direct engagement by the students with the material to be learned instead of having material presented to them, which fosters depth of understanding

  • Practice in self-teaching, which is one of the most valuable skills we can help them learn

  • Practice in peer teaching, which requires them to understand the material at a deeper level than students typically do when simply asked to produce on an exam

  • Improvement in social-emotional learning, including increased feelings of autonomy, competence, and intrinsic motivation (Hänze & Berger, 2007)

  • Speaking the language of the discipline and thus becoming more fluent in the use of discipline-based terminology

  • Contributing to the group

  • Encouraging cooperation and active learning and promoting the valuing of all students’ contributions (source)

Three Types of Jigsaw Method - Avoid the Ineffective Methods

Approach #1: Jigsaw as Divide and Conquer (One-Step Jigsaw)

This was my first introduction to the term “jigsaw.” This ineffective application of the label serves as a way to divide a long article into pieces. Each group member takes a piece, then summarizes it for the small group (or large group).

"Harm may be done as less effective readers share misinformation with the group and everyone’s understanding is compromised" (Source).

Approach #2: Home and Expert Groups
(Two-Step Jigsaw)

Only this summer did I attempt the home and expert groups approach to jigsaw. The process involved grouping students into “home” groups. Then, students chose one resource of the available list. Once students decided on their resource, they formed up into “expert” groups. The expert groups worked to plumb the depths of the same article. Then they discussed their takeaways with each other in their respective home groups. Here’s a link to the organizer my students used in Google Docs format.

"In this type of activity, learners still don’t have the opportunity to discuss how their assigned part fits within the whole text; groups just report on the particular section they read. And the critical thinking that’s accomplished through analysis and synthesis doesn’t happen" (Source)..

Approach #3: True Jigsaw (Three-Step Jigsaw)

The critical third step of the three-step jigsaw involves students returning to their expert groups. Once back in expert groups, they discuss how their part fits into the whole.

In the third phase of the jigsaw, students return to their expert groups and discuss how their passage fits into the whole text, based on their discussions with their home group. The point of this third phase is to have students engage in a part-to-whole conversation in which they arrive at a deeper understanding about the text and its implications.

Students think about their thinking (metacognition) and synthesize and analyze ideas contained within the complete text. This process requires that students listen carefully to their peers and analyze the ways in which each part contributes to the entire text. (Source).

Jigsaw Method To Use

  1. Divide students into home groups to split up portions of text or resources.

  2. Set up a way for students to group according to expert groups to explore their specific area.

  3. Regroup into home groups to discuss findings.

  4. Split back into expert groups to consider the whole in light of specific area.