Jigsaw is a cooperative learning strategy that was first developed in the early 1970s by Elliot Aronson at the University of Texas and the University of California. Visit his website, The Jigsaw Classroom. The strategy requires a topic that can be conveniently divided into major components. The tasks are flexible. Inherent in the structure is individual as well as group accountability for the work. In working with online classes, be sure to have clear directions and specific beginning and ending dates for Home Groups and Task Groups. Adding a Jigsaw Reflection forum helps the whole class comes back together to make a final synthesis and discuss the process.Home Group can serve as a powerful study support group for an online class. Each member is responsible for visiting a task group and bringing back their findings.
Step 1. On the Discussion Board, visit your Home Group.
- Introduce yourself to your fellow members. Tell who you are and your professional specializations. Each member must now volunteer to visit one task group.
- You have one missing member in your group, however. Dave has not been showing up. Someone must volunteer to send him an email message and encourage him log on. His email address is dcaverly@txstate.edu
- Designate a Reporter. (In the course of a class, every student must serve as Reporter at least once). The Reporter posts a final group summary and reflection to the Debriefing forum.
Step 2: Visit your Task Group. Investigate the material assigned to you. In the Task Group forum on the Discussion Board, discuss the questions listed there with your other task group members.
Task Groups: Read Chickering
- A: Intro, Principle 1
- B: Principles 2, 3
- C: Principles 4, 5
- D: Principles 6, 7
- E: Subheadings: Last 2 sections (Evaluation snd Technology is not Enough)
Each task group answer these questions;
- What was important about this text?
- What was interesting about it?
- What is still confusing about it?
- What would you apply to your own teaching?
Step 4: Return to your Home Group forum. Post a message to teach your Task Group findings to the Home Group. Read what your fellow group members have said. The Reporter posts a brief summary of the major points made in Home Group and a comment on the process (was there consensus or debate? were there problems or did the group work well?).