What is one of the main reasons that the jigsaw classroom method is effective?
“How does the jigsaw method work in my mathematics class?” asked Jessica. I was standing at the left side of the room. I had asked session participants for questions. The participants had been reading about various evidence-based strategies. That question made my mind go blank. “What did I know about using jigsaw method in a mathematics classroom?” While I could extrapolate its application, I didn’t have specific examples for math like I did for science or history. Show
How Should I Have Responded?When you get a tough question you’re not prepared for, it’s an opportunity to invite further discussion and learn more. While I had a response that appeared to satisfy the questioner, I felt like I had responded with less than 100% certainty. For me, the response should have had these three components:
In this situation, I didn’t have the second two. So, I wrote this blog entry to deepen my learning. Let’s explore these three specific response components. Component #1 – An Overview of The Jigsaw MethodOn the website, Jigsaw Your Mathematics Classroom, the author shares several goals:
You could walk people through a jigsaw activity, or have them watch “The Gummy Bear” video. The Gummy Bear JigsawTake a moment to watch this gummy bear video featuring The Jigsaw Classroom: Then, reflect on these questions:
What a fun way to introduce students and/or educators to the jigsaw method. Let’s study it a bit more. How the Jigsaw Method WorksThere are multiple types of jigsaw methods. The main problems with incomplete jigsaws techniques appear below:
The successful jigsaw method takes these steps:
In step one, students focus on exploring the information offered. In step two, students engage in summarizing, questioning, and clarifying content with others. In step three, students bring their insights from the home group back to their expert groups. A critical part of the third step is meta-cognition, synthesis, and analysis. This results from conversations with others in the group. You can see how this works in this 2011 video featuring Elliot Aronson, credited with the jigsaw method. You can find a bank of activities that rely on the jigsaw method online. Let’s take a look at the structure of one activity, Why the Jigsaw Method WorksWondering why the jigsaw method works? Here’s a bit of background on this powerful instructional strategy:
This effective strategy can accelerate student growth up to three years in one academic year. In fact, the jigsaw method involves students reading new information. They discuss it with others who have read the same information. This allows them to extend their learning. Then, students move to new groups where they teach their peers about what they read. They also learn new information from group members (Source: John Hattie, Keynote address, TCEA 2022 Convention and Exposition). Other Benefits of the Jigsaw MethodWondering if there are other benefits to the jigsaw method? There are. Here are a few:
Now that you know a little about the jigsaw method, let’s dig into specific examples for mathematics. Component #2 – Specific Examples for MathMany of the examples you will find online for the jigsaw method focus on science, history, and/or nonfiction texts. But what about mathematics? Is the jigsaw method only for literacy? Let’s take a look. Below, you will find two examples. You may find that certain grade levels and types of activities may lend themselves to the use of the jigsaw method. The key is in how you set up the expert group organizers. Example One: Transformations and SymmetrySource: Lindsey Cain, Literacy Strategies for the Math ClassroomAs you can see in the example above, Lindsey’s effort employs jigsaw to support a mathematics lesson. The jigsaw method organizer that students rely on differs from the one you might use in a science or history classroom. The questions, as you will see below, are more focused. Sentence stems include:
Each organizer specific to an expert group is customized to a specific action that students must take. Each expert group engages in a transformation and symmetry activity. Example Two: Algebra IIWhile a lot of time is spent on “organizing a jigsaw,” it’s a lot less time than you might think. Katie Elder, an instructional coach, describes how a colleague led an Algebra II class (edited for brevity): Preparation
Expert Group
Home Group
Expert Group
The Teacher’s Role
When students moved again, this time into home groups, each student took a turn using a small whiteboard to write out their problem, wait while the other students copied it onto their organizer, and then “worked the problem” on the board, discussing each step. To lower anxiety and increase confidence, the students considered low in their groups went first (students were grouped into X, Y, and Z expert groups, so these were X students). Then Y students taught their problem, and then Z students. Again, the teacher visited each table, listening to explanations, offering suggestions, and answering questions.
Component #3 – Jigsaw in the Math ClassroomStudent inactivity in a math classroom can cause low interest in mathematics. One strategy that increases students’ activity is the jigsaw method (Source: Adopting Jigsaw Instructional Strategy for Improving Students’ Interest in Mathematics). One question the researcher in the aforementioned study asked:
Compared to other approaches, jigsaw enjoyed the highest interest of the three approaches explored. Findings suggested these conclusions:
Another study focused on high school students revealed these findings:
Here are the steps I use when relying on the jigsaw method. I put them together after reviewing how others organize their jigsaw activities. You may want to review my steps, as well as how others approach them, then write your own.
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