Revolutionizing Jigsaw Activities: Unlocking Deeper Learning in Less Time

Jigsaw activities employ a cooperative teaching technique designed to reduce racial tension and increase interdependence among students. Many teachers are well familiar with the strategy, but here’s a quick recap so we’re all on the same page.

According to John Hattie and Gregory Donoghue’s research, jigsaw methods are in the top three highest efficacy rates for instructional practice. As a comparison, direct instruction is 0.60, feedback is 0.70, scaffolding is 0.82, and the jigsaw method comes in at a whopping 1.20!

The strategy has several variations, but at its base, it involves students reading a text, becoming an expert at the text, and then coming together as a group to teach others. This strategy was developed in 1971 to diffuse racial tension and overcome learning gaps in the wake of school desegregation in Austin, Texas.

• Students get a reading passage or section of a reading or textbook. They work in a group to become experts on this content.
• Jigsaw groups are formed that includes an expect in each reading or textbook area.
• Jigsaw group members exchange information and learning.
• Jigsaw groups are assessed and results are compared with the other jigsaw groups.

After coming into home groups, students should be assessed. Traditionally, this is done with comprehension quizzes, but there are many ways teachers can add a new twist to this strategy to make jigsaws even more appealing and engaging for students.

Exploring Nontraditional Jigsaw Activities

In my experience the traditional application of the strategy works best with nonfiction texts, but when we think more creatively it has interesting and effective application to fiction study as well.

The structure of jigsaws is for each group member to focus on learning a piece that is integral for successfully performing on a synthesized assessment.

• Expert groups can focus on different characters in a scene to complete a character study and then in home groups apply their knowledge to create a living tableau.
• Expert groups can focus on a specific literary lens when evaluating a character and the jigsaw groups can synthesize to complete a full character study.
• Expert groups can evaluate use of a symbol over a chapter or section of chapters then jigsaw groups look at all of the analysis to create a synthesized report.
• Within a given passage, expert groups could be asked to evaluate the use of specific literary devices. Jigsaw groups can then work to determine the theme of the passage using the literary analysis collected.

In my classroom, I have seen students truly struggle with working collaboratively. In fact, when I recently asked students to reflect on a group assignment where I knew students mostly split up work instead of working together as I asked, they told me they split up the work because they felt this was the most fair way to do the assignment. Using the jigsaw method really emphasizes interdependence among students and helps them truly work collaboratively. As is in the original design, students must depend on one another to be successful, and working in expert groups further emphasizes that even if the final outcome puts them in competition they are stronger if they build each other up.

Practical Implementation of Jigsaw Activities

Like most effective strategies, jigsaws do take some time to put together. But, unlike some other strategies, when you get the process of facilitation down it is an easy strategy to implement.

Jennifer Gonzalez from Cult of Pedagogy has a really helpful and comprehensive explanation of the traditional jigsaw structure that can be viewed on her YouTube channel.

1. Create groups. Think about what students might need additional support. I usually make all groups heterogenous.
2. Have students explore the content for their expert groups individually.
3. Give an activity for expert groups where they need to work together to share their knowledge and fill gaps. As examples, this might be in the form of a one-pager, a presentation, or structured notes.
4. Expert groups meet in their home group to share their learning. Each member should share their content while others take notes. I find it works best to give students specific objectives in their notetaking.
5. Expert groups then synthesize their learning in an assignment or project.
6. The class reviews each group’s projects and reflects on strengths and weaknesses. This is an opportunity to identify gaps and the best applications of content knowledge. Reflection can be formal or can be an informal class discussion.

Tips:

• Prepare a slide with a list of the members of your groups and project it onto your screen. 
• Only give students one group at a time (in other words, first tell them their expert group and don’t tell them their jigsaw/home group until they are done working in expert groups.
• Label groups by letters and numbers and have signs posted around the room to help students find their group mates. I use letters for expert groups and numbers to denote jigsaw groups. Calling them something different makes the multiple groupings less confusing for students.

Time-Efficient Deep Exploration

For many of our texts, there are a myriad of ways we can approach them. A key to the best learning for our students can be to narrow the focus so they explore an aspect of the text in a deeper way. It’s possible to spend an entire year on the intricacies of a text, but actually doing so would be a disaster in most classrooms.

Using the jigsaw strategy gives students and teachers the best of both worlds, deep exploration and exposure to a breadth of ideas and approaches.

Benefits for Teachers and Students

Jigsaws not only help build comprehension, they also build community. In the simplest terms, students work in two groups instead of one, doubling the amount of students they interact with.

But, on a deeper level, students are dependent on their peers to help them be successful. Each student has a role, and their role is important to the success of others. Students are more motivated to do well because they know that others are depending on them for their knowledge.

Just like in team sports, success and failure is not dependent on just one person. This shared experience and overcoming challenges helps to build classroom community and trust in one another.

Finally, the physical movement helps break up tasks into more manageable chunks, making a complex assessment feel more accessible for students. 

Conclusion

Nontraditional jigsaw activities represent an exciting evolution of a tried-and-true teaching strategy. From their origins in promoting interdependence to their impressive efficacy rate, jigsaw activities have much to offer in the modern classroom.

Moreover, jigsaw activities go beyond academic achievement; they build a sense of community, trust, and shared responsibility among students. It’s a reminder that success in education, much like in team sports, is a collective effort.

Whether you’re a seasoned educator looking to rejuvenate your teaching approach or a new teacher eager to engage students more deeply, nontraditional jigsaw activities hold the potential to revolutionize your classroom experience. They offer a pathway to deeper learning in less time, benefiting both teachers and students alike. 

Want to explore more? Check out Episode 20 of my podcast Anti-Burnout for English Teachers where I further explore creative approaches to creating and implementing the jigsaw strategy.

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