The basic jigsaw method of collaborative learning is an activity that tasks each student in a small group with the responsibility for one topic (piece of the puzzle) and then requires that student to teach it to other learners within the group.
To implement the jigsaw method, an instructor assigns a project topic to a team. The instructor could provide subtopics, or the team might decide on the subtopics. Each member of the team then researches their assigned subtopic and teaches their group members what they learned. It’s an effective approach to enhance collaboration and engagement in both online and face-to-face learning environments. It can be used in almost any discipline.
Example using satellite images
Each student receives a different satellite image from a portion of a larger area. If carefully selected, each image could contain information on a portion of a regional story but not the entire story (which could be anything from land use to geomorphic history to structural evolution). After peer teaching, the team puts the entire image and data set together to work out the regional picture.
Example using data
Each student in a group receives and plots a small portion of a large data set. The student makes interpretations based on their portion of the data and then comes back to the group. Each student explains their plots and interpretations. After peer teaching, the group then combines the data sets, works out an interpretation of the complete data set, and addresses why individual team interpretations (based on incomplete data) might have been different.
Example using readings
Each student in a group receives an article on a current events topic from a different new source. Students evaluate their article for accuracy, bias, tone, purpose, and intended audience. They also research the source and author. When students come together, they present their articles individually and then compare and contrast the articles for reliability and legitimacy. As a group, the students rank order their articles in terms of validity, identifying concrete examples from all four articles to support their reasoning.
A two-round jigsaw assumes that multiple groups in the same class are going to work on the same project.
In Round One, homogenous groups are formed. Within these groups, students ensure they are correctly answering or interpreting the content. This is an opportunity to work through complex questions or problem-solving.
In Round Two, new heterogenous groups are formed, just like in the basic jigsaw, where each student has a distinct part of the larger whole problem. Within these new groups, each student teaches their group members what they learned.
The benefits of a two-round jigsaw include greater accuracy and greater student confidence when they move to the teaching phase.
During online implementations, students are provided with more time to review or reflect on the information provided by their peers. This allows for more detailed and thoughtful interactions but also means the conversation is continually occurring.
Smaller groups should be considered when implementing this strategy online to allow the instructor to maintain a strong focus on what each team is doing.
This work is adapted from the original article licensed by the Penn State University under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License by the Center for Teaching & Learning Innovation (CTLI, Vermont State University).
Changes include a basic example using readings, a two-round variation, and graphics.