Jigsaw

This strategy will help students to:

  • critically analyse, evaluate and apply ideas from a large amount of information

  • participate and cooperate in small groups

  • accept responsibility for their own learning.

Implementation

  1. Divide the class into equal groups with no more than six students in each. These become ‘home groups'.

  2. It may help to give each student a coloured dot, badge or sash to identify home groups. 

  3. Every member of the home group has a different aspect of the topic to discuss or research. 

  4. Students form ‘expert' groups, where all members of the group are discussing or researching the same aspect of the topic. Their job is to prepare a report to take back to their home group. 

  5. Students move back to their original home group. 

  6. Experts then report on their aspect of the topic. 

  7. Allow time to discuss findings as whole class.