Active Learning Strategies

Jigsaw

Jigsaw is another popular and versatile active learning strategy that can serve different functions. A problem, question, or series of questions are divided between students. Learners become “experts” on a different part of the problem and share their expertise to help teach others.

As you become more adept with this strategy, make sure to experiment. We provide ideas here for three different versions of Jigsaw, but the variations are limitless!

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

Jigsaw (Version 1)

Steps (Version 1)

1. Arrange students in groups of 4 to 6. The size of groups should ideally correspond to the number of components in the task.
2. Assign a separate task to each member of the group. For example, say the overall task is to describe the four parts of a cell. In a group of four, one student could study the membrane, one cytoplasm, one ribosome, and one DNA.
3. After spending time on their portion of the problem, ask students report back to their group. As a group, they put together the components of the problem. For example, to describe how the parts of a cell work together, or solve a problem related to the functioning of a cell.
4. Have one group present their findings back to the class, discuss and compare solutions.
   • Variation: Have each group solve a different problem (e.g., related to the parts of a cell) and then compare how the parts of a cell worked in each problem.

Jigsaw (Version 2)

Steps (Version 2)

1. Create “home” groups of 4 to 6 students.
2. Have one student from each home group join an “expert” group.
3. Get each expert group to work on one component of a larger problem.
4. After the expert groups are finished with their work, ask students return to their home groups.
5. Guide students to combine their knowledge or analyses in home groups to form a whole.
6. Direct home groups to present their interpretation to the rest of the class. Facilitate a discussion or debate and get students to explain their reasoning.

Example Jigsaw: Tsilhqot’in Motivations during The Chilcotin War

• Students are asked to develop a historical argument based on evidence drawn from six primary sources (documents or artifacts from the past). For example: “Why did the Tsilhqot’in warriors attack a road crew along the Homathko River near Bute Inlet in May 1864?”
  • Pro Tip! Make use of existing resources whenever you can. This example is based on resources and activities from Great Unsolved Mysteries in Canadian History, Nobody Knows Him: Lhatŝ’aŝʔin and the Chilcotin War.
• In their home groups (Figure 1), students develop a working theory based on their knowledge drawn from the textbook, maps, readings, and other secondary sources. You might ask them to draw up a timeline, highlight important contextual factors, themes related to the question, etc.
• Students leave their home groups and each joins a different expert group.
• Each expert group (Figure 2) studies a different document. Each student reads the document on their own and answers a series of questions about it (e.g., who wrote it, when, why, what is the message, etc.) and looks for evidence related to the question.
• They share their findings and each student combines the evidence together in a matrix which they will take back to their home group.
• Returning to their home groups, students share what they found in their expert groups and use the evidence to formulate and defend an argument (their answer to the question).
• Home groups present and discuss their arguments with the rest of the class.

Jigsaw (Version 3)

Steps (Version 3)

1. Steps 1–5 are same as in Version 2.
2. (Step 6) Ask students to return to their expert groups a second time and share what they discussed in their home groups. For example, they can compare the arguments they formulated in their home groups to see if one is more convincing than the others. They could rank the arguments from most to least convincing.
3. (Step 7) Ask expert groups to present their rankings (or other analysis) back to the class for discussion.