The Jigsaw Classroom or Method
“The jigsaw classroom was first used in 1971 in Austin, Texas” (Social Psychology Network, 2023). Professor Elliot Aronson and his graduate students had invented the jigsaw strategy that year, as result of schools being recently desegregated. The students in the classroom were racially diverse and fiercely competitive and judgmental. The white students were opposed to African American and Latino/Hispanic students for the first time and vice versa. Some of the students deemed themselves superior and others may have considered themselves inferior or they were treated as inferior.
Professor Aronson and his students invented the jigsaw method so the students would have to work in various heterogenous groups. They paired academically weaker and stronger students and also shy and more confident or outgoing students. The result was that each student had to do his or her part and bring something to the table. This was necessary, so that during testing, all the students had learned from each other and were able to pass the exam.
Within a few weeks professor Aronson and his group saw significant improvements in the classrooms that had adapted the jigsaw method as opposed to the classes that were still doing regular instruction. The students learned to trust and respect each other more, and as a result were able to learn from each other.
The Jigsaw Method Today
The jigsaw method teaching strategy is used to provide a collaborative learning opportunity for students to work in small groups. The classroom is divided into four or five groups and the individual students are given categories and subcategories to investigate. For example, if a group is assigned a project on sensory impairment, the subcategories might be hearing loss, low vision or visual impairment, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and sensory processing disorder. Sensory impairment can affect sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste and spatial awareness. Each student in the group can investigate one or more categories and report to each other, and then to the larger group or class.
The jigsaw method is an effective way to provide for student cooperation and collaboration. The students are also assessed individually and as a group and will usually provide a peer assessment to measure the effectiveness, participation, and cooperation of each member of the group.
Reference
Hance, M. (2016). The jigsaw method teaching strategy. TeachHub.com. https://www.teachhub.com/teaching-strategies/2016/10/the-jigsaw-method-teaching-strategy/#:~:text=Jigsaw%20Method%20Examples%20to%20Try%20in%20Your%20Classroom,five%20students.%20...%203%20Jigsaw%20within%20Groups%20
Jigsaw Classroom. (2023). History of the Jigsaw. https://www.jigsaw.org/#history