Jigsaw (teaching technique)

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The jigsaw technique is a method of organizing classroom activity
that makes students dependent on each other to succeed. It breaks
classes into groups and breaks assignments into pieces that the
group assembles to complete the (jigsaw) puzzle. It was designed
by social psychologist Elliot Aronson to help weaken racial cliques
in forcibly integrated schools.[1][2][3]
The technique splits classes into mixed groups to work on small
problems that the group collates into a final outcome. [1] For example,
an in-class assignment is divided into topics. Students are then split
into groups with one member assigned to each topic. Working
individually, each student learns about his or her topic and presents
it to their group. Next, students gather into groups divided by topic.
Each member presents again to the topic group. In same-topic
groups, students reconcile points of view and synthesize
information. They create a final report. Finally, the original groups
reconvene and listen to presentations from each member. The final
presentations provide all group members with an understanding of
their own material, as well as the findings that have emerged from
topic-specific group discussion.
Contents
[hide]

1 History
2 Research findings
o 2.1 Bridgeman
o 2.2 Geffner

o 2.3 Blaney, Stephan, Rosenfield, Aronson

and Sikes
o 2.4 Hnze and Berger
o 2.5 Perkins and Saris
o 2.6 Walker and Crogan
o 2.7 Bratt
3 See also
4 References

History[edit]
In the late 1950s, America was going through desegregation of
public schools. In 1954, the Brown v. Board of Education decision of
the Supreme Court of the United Statescreated a legal requirement
for integration of public schools by ruling that separating schools
made them inherently unequal. Actual integration was a painful
process, taking years.
Schools were plagued with fights, discrimination, and hate crimes.
White supremacist groups and hateful white students terrorized new
students. This prevented students from feeling safe in their schools
and harmed all their learning abilities. Students often could hardly
sit in the same room together without incident, much less work
together. This created a problem for teachers, students, parents,
communities, and the country alike, as an entire generation of
students were distracted from learning by rampant hatred and
discrimination.
It was at this time that psychologists were pulled in to advise
schools on what to do to correct this problem. In 1971, Dr. Elliot
Aronson was hired to advise an Austin, Texasschool district on how
to defuse the problems of hostile classrooms and distrust between
the students. Aronson was a psychologist at the University of Texas
at Austin at the time, and took a psychological approach to help fix
the problems in the classrooms. Competition among students had
become extremely high. It was quickly realized that the competitive

nature of the classroom encouraged students to taunt each other

and discriminate against those different than them, so that they
might vault themselves higher in status. In order to counter this
problem, students were placed in diversified groups so that they
would be required to work together and reduce the competitive
atmosphere. Students were having difficulty adjusting to the mixing
of ethnicity in the classroom. Aronson created an atmosphere for
increased collaboration and reduction of the resistance to work with
one another. Aronson created assignments that made every
member of the group equally important. The students had to pay
attention and obtain much information from other group members.
This allows for each member of the group to add a small piece of
the larger picture so that they are all important to the group. This
teaches the students to rely on each other and reduces their
competitive attitudes toward each other because they need
everyone in their group to do well because their grade depends on
the other students. [1]

Research findings[edit]
Students in jigsaw classrooms ("jigsaws") showed a decrease in
prejudice and stereotyping, liked in-group and out-group members
more, showed higher levels of self-esteem, performed better on
standardized exams, liked school more, reduced absenteeism, and
mixed with students of other races in areas other than the
classroom compared to students in traditional classrooms ("trads").

Bridgeman[edit]
Diane Bridgeman demonstrated that jigsaws displayed greater
empathy than trads. She assessed fifth-graders.
Half of her subjects had spent two months in a jigsaw classroom
while the other half were in a traditional classroom. The children
viewed cartoons to assess their empathy. Trads displayed lower
empathy than jigsaws.

Geffner[edit]
Geffner assessed fifth-graders' attitudes about themselves, school,
and other students. He worked in the Santa Cruz County, California,
school district which had a ratio of 50% Caucasian students to 50%
Hispanic students. He assessed trads, jigsaws and students in

classrooms that used a cooperative technique that did not rely on

interdependence ("coops"). He used a modified version of Blaney's
questionnaire and a modified version of the Pictorial Concept Scale
for Children. This scale placed cartoon stick figures in various
situations, including five self-esteem dimensions: athletic abilities,
scholastic abilities, physical appearance, family interactions and
social interactions. These measures were used as pre- and postintervention measures. Interventions lasted eight weeks.
Coops and jigsaws improved or maintained positive attitudes about
themselves, school, peers and academic abilities and self-esteem.
Trads demonstrated poorer attitudes about peers, themselves, and
academic abilities.

Blaney, Stephan, Rosenfield, Aronson and Sikes[edit]

The first experiment with the jigsaw classroom was by Blaney,
Stephan, Rosenfield, Aronson, and Sikes in 1977. The technique
was assessed in ten fifth grade classes across seven schools.
Three fifth grade classes from each school were the controls. Trad
teachers were peer-rated as good teachers. The experimental
classes worked in jigsaw groups for 45 minutes a day, three days a
week, for six weeks. Both groups used similar curricula. The jigsaw
groups contained members from all ethnic groups. Student
questionnaires assessed attitudes about themselves, school and
toward peer teaching, cooperation and attitudes towars group
members other students in the class. These measures were used
as pre- and post-intervention.
Significant increases were seen in jigsaw self-esteem accompanied
by a decrease in trad self-esteem. Jigsaw students liked school
more, (Caucasians generally, Mexican-Americans slightly, but not
African-Americans.) Trad students liked school less (Caucasians
generally, not Mexican-Americans, and African-Americans
significantly.) The authors contribute this to the fact that MexicanAmerican jigsaws may have felt forced to participate in peer
teaching. Two other questions produced significant results.
Competitiveness among jigsaws decreased and increased among
trads. Jigsaws felt they could learn more from other students while
trads did not. Students reported increase liking of their group
members, but they also increased their liking of other students in
the class.[1]

Hnze and Berger[edit]

Hnze and Berger assessed 12th-grade physics classes in 2007.
They took eight 12th-grade classes and randomly assigned them to
either the jigsaw technique or direct instruction. Students were
assessed for academic performance and completed a questionnaire
looking at personality variables (goal orientation, self-concept, and
uncertainty orientation). The topics (motion of electrons and
electromagnetic oscillations and waves) were introduced through
direct instruction in both branches. Students completed the learning
experience questionnaire after the instruction as a pretest measure.
Jigsaws were given the learning experience questionnaire after
working in the expert group and after working in the jigsaw group.
Trads were given the learning experience questionnaire at the end
of the lesson.
Academic performance was reasessed a few days after the learning
unit. Clear difference emerged in the learning experience, but not in
academic performances. Jigsaws showed higher achievement in
their "expert" areas, but trads scored better on areas that jigsaws
learned from their peers. Jigsaws had a more favorable view of the
learning experience, stronger intrinsic motivation, greater interest in
the topic and more cognitive activation and involvement than trads.
Jigsaws were more involved and more interested in the material
and were seen as more competent, more socially related to other
students and more autonomous. Indirect effects on performance
were implied because students viewed themselves as more
competent, but without direct impact on achievement. [4]

Perkins and Saris[edit]

Perkins and Saris assessed an undergraduate statistics course in
2001. They noted that a part of class instruction was doing
worksheets. Worksheets give immediate feedback, allow for
repeated practice, make students active rather than passive
learners and allow students to ask for help from the instructor.
Drawbacks include students' uneven readiness the substantial time
required to complete.
Students worked in groups on two separate occasions. In the first,
four worksheets were supplied. Pairs of students were given the
same worksheet and worked together to compute various statistical
quantities. For the first study an example of the computation and

interpretation were provided. After discussion, students received

one of two worksheets that directed them through the steps for
completing the procedures for one of the remaining designs with a
partial solution for each step.
The handout also contained the next-to-last step for the other
design. One group of students received step-by-step instruction and
partial solutions for the second and a nearly complete solution for
the third design and the other group received step-by-step
information for the third design and the almost complete solution for
the second. Students were instructed to work with a classmate
holding a complementary handout. Students were then asked to
rate the exercise on usefulness of getting help, giving help, working
with classmates, providing an alternative to a lecture, saving time
and understanding the statistical procedures.
Students perceived the jigsaw procedure as being very positive
especially as an alternative learning experience. Jigsaws rated the
technique as more useful for practical purposes than for
interpersonal purposes such as working with others or giving/getting
help. Students appreciated the technique as a time-saver and
viewed it is a change of pace.[5]

Walker and Crogan[edit]

Walker and Crogan looked at the effects of a cooperative learning
environment, the jigsaw method and traditional classes on
academic performance, self-esteem, liking of school, liking of peers
and racial prejudice in Australia. They looked at 103 students in
grades 46 at one private and one public school. Cooperative
learning was used as a baseline measure for the effects of
cooperation.
The sixth-grade and fifth grade classes hosted coops and trads,
respectively. The study was confounded by changes in procedures
for the coops and the departure of the trad teacher, resulting in a
shortened, four week schedule. The choice to designate the sixth
grade class as "traditional cooperation" rather than "failed jigsaw"
was criticized by Bratt. In the public school, a fourth-grade class
experienced a three-week jigsaw program. The trad class was a
split fourth/fifth-grade class. Each experimental branch had a sameschool control.

For the private school, there were 31 students in the experimental

group and 29 students in the control group. At the public school,
there were 20 students and two teachers in the experimental group,
with 23 students and only one teacher in the control group.
Teachers were given a description of the program and the key facts
were discussed with them.
Public school jigsaw groups balanced ethnicity, academic ability
and sex evenly. "Best" friends and "worst" enemies were separated.
Prior to implementation, jigsaws familiarized themselves with their
group peers, practiced their roles as peer tutors and practiced
relevant skills such as discussing main ideas, reading for meaning,
listening and quizzing peers on important information.
At the private school, students in the experimental class received
the cooperative learning program for 90 minutes each day, twice a
week, for four weeks. At the public school, students in the
experimental class received the Jigsaw program for an hour a day,
five days a week, for three weeks. Measures were taken pre- and
post-intervention. Academic performance data was available only
from the public school. Self-esteem was measured by the PiersHarris Childrens Self-concept Scale (CSCS). Students rated their
classmates according to how much they would like to work and play
with them. Racial prejudice measures were assessed students
attitudes to Asian-Australians, Aborigines and European-Australians
using one measure of social distance and one of stereotyping.
Academic performance improved for those in the Jigsaw group.
Jigsaw self-esteem increased at both schools compared to trads,
for liking of school and for playing with peers but the gains were not
significant. Jigsaws increased their ratings in working with peers
when compared to their relative control group. Coops were not
motivated by the prospect of working cooperatively.
Jigsaws liked ingroup and outgroup peers more in work-oriented
relationships, but not for coops. Social distance ratings for AsianAustralian and European-Australian children decreased across the
program, but European-Australian ratings increased. Jigsaws
attributed fewer negative traits to Asian- and European-Australians.
Coops showed an increase in stereotyping. The study
demonstrated that the Jigsaw method is effective in Australian
social conditions in producing positive change in academic
performance, attitudes to peers and prejudice. Cooperative learning

on the other hand produced generally negative results.

Interdependence seemed to be more important than cooperation. [6]

Bratt[edit]
Bratt presented two studies on Jigsaw, one in grade 6 (Study 1),
one in grades 8 to 10 (Study 2). Bratt focused on the claimed
effectiveness of Jigsaw to reduce prejudice. The first study gave
similar findings as Walker and Crogan, but Bratt stressed that the
data could not be interpreted as establishing positive Jigsaw
effects. Bratts Study 1 included two schools, with one Jigsaw class
and one control class at each school. The experiment covered
seven weeks. The analysis focused on ethnic Norwegian children (n
= 34 in each class).[7]
The study of sixth graders was confounded by the fact that the
Jigsaw class had two teachers whereas the control class had only
one teacher.[7]
Study 2 assessed 11 Jigsaw classes and 11 matched control
classes. Jigsaw teachers were well trained and repeatedly met
during the eight week experiment. The analysis focused on 264
ethnic Norwegian students. Study 2 failed to indicate effects of
Jigsaw on intergroup attitudes, cross-group friendship, common
ingroup identity, empathy and attitudes toward school. These
variables were measured before, immediately after and six months
after the first measure. Bratt concluded that the two studies did not
support Jigsaw. Bratt also pointed out methodological limitations in
previous studies.[7]

See also[edit]
Learning by teaching
Flip teaching

References[edit]
1. ^ Jump up to:a b c d Lestik, M., & Plous, S.
(2012). "Jigsaw Classroom". Retrieved
October 24, 2012, from jigsaw.org

2. Jump up^ Aronson, E. (n.d.). "Jigsaw

Basics". Retrieved December 5, 2012,
from jigsaw.org
3. Jump up^ Perkins, D. V., & Tagler, M. J.
(n.d.). "Jigsaw Classroom". Retrieved
December 5, 2012
4.

Jump up^ Hnze, M., & Berger, R. (2007).

"Cooperative learning, motivational effects,
and student characteristics: An experimental
study comparing cooperative learning and
direct instruction in 12th grade physics

HISTORY OF THE JIGSAW

An Account from Professor Aronson:

The jigsaw classroom was first used in 1971 in Austin, Texas. My graduate students and I
had invented the jigsaw strategy that year, as a matter of absolute necessity to help defuse an
explosive situation. The city's schools had recently been desegregated, and because Austin
had always been racially segregated, white youngsters, African-American youngsters, and
Hispanic youngsters found themselves in the same classrooms for the first time.
Within a few weeks, long-standing suspicion, fear, and distrust between groups produced an
atmosphere of turmoil and hostility. Fist-fights erupted in corridors and schoolyards across
the city. The school superintendent called me in to see if we could do anything to help
students get along with one another. After observing what was going on in classrooms for a
few days, my students and I concluded that inter-group hostility was being fueled by the
competitive environment of the classroom.
TIPS FOR IMPLEMENTATION

Compared with traditional teaching methods, The jigsaw classroom has several
advantages:

Most teachers find jigsaw easy to learn

Most teachers enjoy working with it

 It can be used with other teaching strategies

It works even if only used for an hour per day
It is free for the taking

Cooperative Learning Teaching Strategies

Use these strategies to improve your students'
cooperative learning skills. Included are articles to teach
you about each concept and lesson plans with which
you can implement the strategies. These are great
professional development resources and are an
excellent resource to ensure that you are improving your
professional skill set.
Articles about Cooperative
Learning
Cooperative Learning

Related Lesson Plans &

Activities
Cooperation Cards

Get information on cooperative

learning, an instructional strategy
in which small groups of students
work together on a common task.
This teaching method is an
excellent way to allow students to
think critically without relying on
you for answers.

In this cooperative learning game,

students work in teams to devise
cooperation plans.

Jigsaw Groups for

Cooperative Learning
Jigsaw is a grouping strategy in
which the members of the class
are organized into groups then
rearranged in new groups to
share their learning. This is an
excellent method for improving
students' teamwork and
communication skills.

Explaining How to Make a

Bar Graph
Use this lesson plan with your
students who are learning how to
read and create bar graphs and to
work cooperatively in groups.

Numbered Heads Together

Teamwork and Tangrams

Students use tangrams in this
math lesson to practice group
participation and cooperation.

Spelling Using Think, Pair,

Share
Present this lesson plan for the
Think, Pair, Share strategy to help
students practice spelling and

Cooperative Learning Strategy

Numbered Heads Together is a
cooperative learning strategy that
holds each student accountable
for learning the material by having
students work together in a group.
This is an excellent strategy for
teaching accountability in the
classroom.
How Students Learn
Discover the laws of learning and
how students use the knowledge
they acquire in the classroom.
New teachers will find this advice
particularly valuable, especially for
back to school.
Establishing Small Groups
for Learning (I)
Use this method from veteran
teachers to help you create more
balanced and productive groups
of students for cooperative
learning experiences.
Teaching with Cooperative
Learning
Learn the basics of successfully
teaching your class with the
cooperative learning method.
Group projects are an excellent
way to help your students build
important communication and
teamwork skills. New teachers will
find this resource particularly
valuable.
What Is Cooperative
Learning, and What Does It Do?
Cooperative learning is a

writing words with the short "a"

sound.
Nuclear Testing in Australia
Students will work in small groups
to research the history and
implications of nuclear testing in
and around Australia. They will
create a poster to share with the
class.
Assessment Forms
Think, Pair, Share
Cooperative Learning Strategy
The think, pair, share strategy is a
cooperative learning technique in
which students think through
questions using three distinct
steps, encouraging individual
participation. This is an excellent
method for promoting critical
thinking and articulate
communication in the classroom.
Ongoing Assessment:
Cooperative Learning 1
Assess students' cooperative
learning skills with this evaluation
sheet.

More Professional
Development Resources for
Teachers

successful teaching strategy in

which small teams, each with
students of different ability levels,
use a variety of learning activities
to improve their understanding of
a subject. By using this method,
each of your students will feel that
he or she is an important member
of the class.
Cooperative Learning 2
Use this form to record how
students cooperate with others.
This is a great way to assess your
students progress throughout the
school year.
Teaching With Puzzles
By Ann Bowers

Parents and teachers often underestimate the effectiveness of puzzles in

teaching children skills and concepts. There are many types of puzzles, including
those that teach spatial skills, hand-eye coordination, math, language, social
science and science concepts, as well as logic and thinking skills. Children as
young as one year of age can use simple puzzles. There are puzzles for all ages,
including adults. The best quality of puzzles is the enjoyment experienced by the
user as they solve them.
Wooden Puzzles
Puzzles made of wood or very heavy cardboard help young children ages 1-8
learn motor skills and hand-eye coordination as they fit the pieces together. They
learn spatial concepts and how to problem solve. These puzzles teach the
alphabet, numbers, colors, shapes, and concepts about animals and nature.
Wooden puzzles have 2 to 30 pieces.
Simple number puzzles can be created using one inch (1/2 cm.) ceramic tiles.
Use a permanent marker to write numbers from 1 to 100 on the tiles. Children
start by putting the first ten in order and then add ten at a time until they can
put all 100 in order. Teachers can make multiple sets by first painting each set of
tiles a different color and then adding the numbers.
Jigsaw Puzzles
Jigsaw puzzles are usually made of heavy duty cardboard and have any number
of pieces. Jigsaws teach spatial concepts and problem solving as the pieces are
examined to see how they fit together. Jigsaw puzzles teach concepts about

science, geography (i.e.; maps), social science, and even foreign languages.
Children learn to work cooperatively as they complete a puzzle. A jigsaw in
progress is a great way to keep children occupied during a break in
homeschooling lessons or on a rainy day. Mark the back of each puzzle piece
with a different color of felt marker so that the pieces are easy to sort.
Word Search Puzzles
Word search puzzles are puzzles made up of letters in which words are spelled
horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. (Spelling them backwards is not
recommended for children.) The player must find specific words and circle them
in the puzzle. These puzzles help teach spelling and figure-ground perception.
Figure-ground perception is the brains ability to see objects or words hidden in a
background of pictures or letters.
Hidden Picture Puzzles
Hidden picture puzzles are those with elaborate, background pictures that
contain specific pictures the player must find. This type of puzzle teaches figure
ground perception and detailed observation skills, as well as vocabulary. A
variation on the hidden picture puzzle is the puzzle in which two pictures appear
to be the same, but the player must find the discrepancies between the two.
Crossword Puzzles
Crossword puzzles may be quite simple for children as young as 7 or very
difficult for adults. Crossword puzzles teach vocabulary, reasoning skills, spelling,
and word attack skills. The player must use word clues to determine the correct
word to fit into the crossword, either across the puzzle or up and down. There are
excellent software programs which allow teachers to create crossword puzzles
using spelling, reading, or vocabulary words.
Logic puzzles
Logic puzzles are basically of two types word puzzles or mechanical puzzles.
Logic word puzzles come in many varieties, such as Don is 6 inches taller than
Harry. Harry is 2 shorter than Jan. Rich is 58 tall and is the same height as Jan.
How tall is each person? These puzzles can be simple for children and range up
to very difficult for adults. In many ways, geometry problems can be considered
logic word puzzles.
Logic mechanical puzzles consist of mechanically interlinked pieces. The puzzles
challenge the player to explore the interlocking pieces in order to assemble or
disassemble the puzzle, put the pieces in sequence, or use dexterity to move the
pieces. Such puzzles include: Rubiks cubes, sliding tiles or blocks puzzles,
impossible object puzzles, etc.
Logic puzzles teach logical thinking skills, deductive and inductive reasoning,
spatial concepts, motor coordination, and planning advance gambits.
Patterns
Pattern puzzles may be colors, shapes, numbers, letters, or any combination of
them. The challenge is to create a pattern, determine what comes next in a

pattern, or discover how the pattern was created. Patterns teach logical
progressions, deductive and inductive reasoning, and spatial concepts.
Mazes
Mazes require the player to find a way through a maze on paper, in virtual
reality, or in real life. Mazes teach spatial concepts, logical progression, and
deductive reasoning, as well as directionality. Mazes are often considered to be
art themselves.

Riddles and Brain Teasers

Riddles and brain teasers are brief descriptions that challenge the player to
discover what is being described. In a brain teaser, for example, the description
goes: a child is brought into a hospital emergency room after a car accident in
which his father is killed. The doctor in the emergency room says, I cant
operate on this child. Hes my son. How can this be? Answer: the doctor is the
childs mother. Riddles and brain teasers teach how to think outside of the box.
Here is a riddle. If a fire hydrant has H2O on the outside, what does it have on
the inside? Answer: K9P
new film despicable me
Here is another. A hunter looking out of his cabin can only look south. A bear
ambles by. What color is the bear? Answer: white (Its a polar bear because the
hunter can only look south, he must be at the North Pole.)
Incorporating puzzles of all kinds into a childs education and recreation is
stimulating for the mind and fun for the child. There are hundreds of resources
on the internet for all kinds of puzzles, both free and available for purchase. Get
some puzzles and challenge your child!
Bio for Ann Bowers
Ann Bowers has been an elementary school teacher, in kindergarten through 8th
grade, for 20 years. She was a Bilingual Education Grant Project Coordinator for
seven years and a school principal for seven. She has a B.A. in English, an M.A. in
Education, and holds California Life Teaching Credentials and specialist
credentials in Remedial Reading and Teaching English as a Second Language.
She is retired and has started a second career as a freelance writer.

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