Welcome to the official web site of the

jigsaw classroom, a cooperative learning technique that reduces  

racial conflict among school children, promotes better learning,
improves student motivation, and increases enjoyment of the
learning experience. The jigsaw technique was first developed in
Overview of the Technique
the early 1970s by Elliot Aronson and his students at the University
of Texas and the University of California. Since then, hundreds of History of the Jigsaw Classroom
schools have used the jigsaw classroom with great success. The
jigsaw approach is considered to be a particularly valuable tool in Jigsaw in 10 Easy Steps
averting tragic events such as the Columbine massacre. Tips on Implementation
Books and Articles Related to
Overview of the Technique the Jigsaw Technique
Chapter 1 of Aronson's Book
"Nobody Left to Hate: Teaching
The jigsaw classroom is a cooperative learning technique Compassion After Columbine"
Links on Cooperative Learning
with a three-decade track record of successfully reducing and School Violence
racial conflict and increasing positive educational About Elliot Aronson and This
outcomes. Just as in a jigsaw puzzle, each piece--each Web Site
student's part--is essential for the completion and full
understanding of the final product. If each student's part is
essential, then each student is essential; and that is
precisely what makes this strategy so effective.

Here is how it works: The students in a history class, for example, are divided into small
groups of five or six students each. Suppose their task is to learn about World War II. In
one jigsaw group, Sara is responsible for researching Hitler's rise to power in pre-war
Germany. Another member of the group, Steven, is assigned to cover concentration camps;
Pedro is assigned Britain's role in the war; Melody is to research the contribution of the
Soviet Union; Tyrone will handle Japan's entry into the war; Clara will read about the
development of the atom bomb.

Eventually each student will come back to her or his jigsaw group and will try to present a
well-organized report to the group. The situation is specifically structured so that the only
access any member has to the other five assignments is by listening closely to the report of
the person reciting. Thus, if Tyrone doesn't like Pedro, or if he thinks Sara is a nerd and
tunes her out or makes fun of her, he cannot possibly do well on the test that follows.

To increase the chances that each report will be accurate, the

students doing the research do not immediately take it back to
their jigsaw group. Instead, they meet first with students who
have the identical assignment (one from each jigsaw group). For
example, students assigned to the atom bomb topic meet as a
team of specialists, gathering information, becoming experts on
their topic, and rehearsing their presentations. We call this the
"expert" group. It is particularly useful for students who might
have initial difficulty learning or organizing their part of the
assignment, for it allows them to hear and rehearse with other "experts."

Once each presenter is up to speed, the jigsaw groups reconvene in their initial
heterogeneous configuration. The atom bomb expert in each group teaches the other group
members about the development of the atom bomb. Each student in each group educates
the whole group about her or his specialty. Students are then tested on what they have
learned about World War II from their fellow group member.

What is the benefit of the jigsaw classroom? First and foremost, it is a remarkably efficient
way to learn the material. But even more important, the jigsaw process encourages
listening, engagement, and empathy by giving each member of the group an essential part
to play in the academic activity. Group members must work together as a team to
accomplish a common goal; each person depends on all the others. No student can succeed
  

completely unless everyone works well together as a Overview of the Technique

team. This "cooperation by design" facilitates interaction History of the Jigsaw Classroom
among all students in the class, leading them to value Jigsaw in 10 Easy Steps
each other as contributors to their common task. Tips on Implementation
Books and Articles Related to
the Jigsaw Technique
Chapter 1 of Aronson's Book
Jigsaw in 10 Easy Steps "Nobody Left to Hate: Teaching
Compassion After Columbine"
Links on Cooperative Learning
The jigsaw classrom is very simple to use. If you're a and School Violence
teacher, just follow these steps: About Elliot Aronson and This
Web Site

1. Divide students into 5- or 6-person jigsaw groups.

The groups should be diverse in terms of gender,
ethnicity, race, and ability.

2. Appoint one student from each group as the leader. Initially, this person should be
the most mature student in the group.
3. Divide the day's lesson into 5-6 segments. For example, if you want history students
to learn about Eleanor Roosevelt, you might divide a short biography of her into
stand-alone segments on: (1) Her childhood, (2) Her family life with Franklin and
their children, (3) Her life after Franklin contracted polio, (4) Her work in the White
House as First Lady, and (5) Her life and work after Franklin's death.
4. Assign each student to learn one segment, making sure students have direct access
only to their own segment.
5. Give students time to read over their segment at least twice and become familiar
with it. There is no need for them to memorize it.
6. Form temporary "expert groups" by having one student from each jigsaw group join
other students assigned to the same segment. Give students in these expert groups
time to discuss the main points of their segment and to rehearse the presentations
they will make to their jigsaw group.
7. Bring the students back into their jigsaw groups.
8. Ask each student to present her or his segment to the group. Encourage others in
the group to ask questions for clarification.
9. Float from group to group, observing the process.  
If any group is having trouble (e.g., a member is
dominating or disruptive), make an appropriate
intervention. Eventually, it's best for the group Overview of the Technique
leader to handle this task. Leaders can be trained History of the Jigsaw Classroom
by whispering an instruction on how to intervene, Jigsaw in 10 Easy Steps
until the leader gets the hang of it. Tips on Implementation
10. At the end of the session, give a quiz on the
Books and Articles Related to
material so that students quickly come to realize the Jigsaw Technique
that these sessions are not just fun and games but Chapter 1 of Aronson's Book
"Nobody Left to Hate: Teaching
really count.
Compassion After Columbine"
Links on Cooperative Learning
and School Violence
About Elliot Aronson and This
Tips on Implementation Web Site

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
 Too good to be true? Well, yes and no. It would be misleading to suggest that the jigsaw
sessions always go smoothly. Occasionally, a dominant student will talk too much or try to
control the group. How can we prevent that? Some students are poor readers or slow
thinkers and have trouble creating a good report for their group. How can we help them? At
the other end of the talent continuum, some students are so gifted that they get bored
working with slower students. Is the jigsaw technique effective with them? In some cases,
students may never have experienced cooperative learning before. Will the jigsaw
technique work with older students who have been trained to compete with one another? All
of these problems are real but not fatal.

The Problem of the Dominant Student

Many jigsaw teachers find it useful to appoint one of the students to be the discussion
leader for each session, on a rotating basis. It is the leader's job to call on students in a fair
manner and try to spread participation evenly. In addition, students quickly realize that the
group runs more effectively if each student is allowed to present her or his material before
question and comments are taken. Thus, the self interest of the group eventually reduces
the problem of dominance.

The Problem of the Slow Student

Teachers must make sure that students with poor study skills do not present an inferior
report to the jigsaw group. If this were to happen, the jigsaw experience might backfire (the
situation would be akin to the untalented baseball player dropping a routine fly ball with the
bases loaded, earning the wrath of teammates). To deal with this problem, the jigsaw
technique relies on "expert" groups. Before presenting a report to their jigsaw groups, each
student enters an expert group consisting of other students who have prepared a report on
the same topic. In the expert group, students have a chance to discuss their report and
modify it based on the suggestions of other members of their expert group. This system
works very well. In the early stages, teachers may want to monitor the expert groups
carefully, just to make sure that each student ends with an accurate report to bring to her
or his jigsaw group. Most teachers find that once the expert groups get the hang of it, close
monitoring becomes unnecessary.

The Problem of Bright Students Becoming Bored

Boredom can be a problem in any classroom, regardless of the learning technique being
used. Research suggests, however, that there is less boredom in jigsaw classrooms than in
traditional classrooms. Youngsters in jigsaw classes report liking school better, and this is
true for the bright students as well as the slower students. After all, being in the position of
a teacher can be an exciting change of pace for all students. If bright students are
encouraged to develop the mind set of "teacher," the learning experience can be
transformed from a boring task into an exciting challenge. Not only does such a challenge
produce psychological benefits, but the learning is frequently more thorough.

The Problem of Students Who Have Been Trained to Compete

Research suggests that jigsaw has its strongest effect if introduced in elementary school.
When children have been exposed to jigsaw in their early years, little more than a "booster
shot" (one hour per day) of jigsaw in middle school and high school is required to maintain
the benefits of cooperative learning. But what if jigsaw has not been used in elementary
school? Admittedly, it is an uphill battle to introduce cooperative learning to 16-year olds
who have never before experienced it. Old habits are not easy to break. But they can be
broken, and it is never too late to begin. Experience has shown that although it generally
takes a bit longer, most high school students participating in jigsaw for the first time display
a remarkable ability to benefit from the cooperative structure.

In Conclusion
Some teachers may feel that they have already tried a cooperative learning approach
because they have occasionally placed their students in small groups, instructing them to
cooperate. Yet cooperative learning requires more than seating youngsters around a table
and telling them to share, work together, and be nice to one another. Such loose,
unstructured situations do not contain the crucial elements and safeguards that make the
jigsaw and other structured cooperative strategies work so well.