1. Piecing it together: Jigsaws in Action
Engage LT Conference, 26th June 2018
David Jay & Stephanie Dimond-Bayir
Language Services Unit, ARU

2. Do we get to do jigsaws a bit like Lego last year! Yes and no…

3. Objectives for today’s workshop
Gain an overview of the Jigsaw technique, its format and history
Experience some interactive Jigsaw-style tasks!
Discuss how the Jigsaw can be applied and adapted, including within other methodologies
Reflect on how you could adapt the Jigsaw for your context
NB context doesn’t have to be teaching. Could be any kind of training session or presentation.
Mention we realise that some people will already be familiar with Jigsaw – emphasise that it can be adapted and revisited

4. LSU CELTA. Training the new teachers in communicative methods

5. Communicative Language Teaching
Approach developed since late 1970s (Harmer, 2004: 52-3)
Focus on learner-centred activities (Carter and Nunan, 2001: 219), with limitation of ‘teacher talk’
Emphasis on communicative process: ‘You must learn the language freely … even if you make a lot of errors’ (Willis, 1996: 7)
Teacher sets ‘real tasks’ for the classroom to facilitate spoken fluency: pair work, ‘mingle’ ; role-plays; Jigsaws
On comm process mention

6. What is the Jigsaw Technique?
Pioneered in 1971 to defuse ‘explosive’ tensions following desegregation of diverse communities in Texas high school system (Aronson, 2018)
Success depends on group co-operation rather than hostile ‘individual competitiveness’ inherent in traditional classrooms
After 8 weeks, Jigsaw students ‘expressed less prejudice’ and ‘showed greater academic improvement’

7. Jigsaw steps
Students form groups; each allocated different area of input, e.g. reading text, listening extract, discussion topic
Each group focuses on own area (expert groups)
Jigsaw regrouping to share expertise
(mixed groups)
‘Information gap’ (Harmer, 2004) creates a reason to communicate and solve problems

8. How is this relevant to wider HE?
Often included within ‘Active Learning’ or ‘Co-operative Learning’ strategies (Riley and Ward, 2017)
HEIs, particularly in North America, increasingly encourage use of Jigsaw-style collaborative activities (Barkley, Major and Cross, 2014)

9. What are the benefits?
Students develop confidence as expert participants (MIT, )
Ensures engagement: everyone has a defined role to play in the success of the group (Aronson, 2018)
Enhances inclusion: nobody left out; more equitable structure than a standard group discussion
Flexible across disciplines, e.g. Biology, Engineering, History, Law, Literature, Psychology,

10. Psychiatry / Mental Health Nursing
Biology
Critical reading of studies on protein structure and function
Political Psychology
Concepts in decision-making (Wisdom of crowds, Heuristic decision-making, Groupthink, and Cooperation)
Psychiatry / Mental Health Nursing
Interpreting clinical trials
Swedish Literature
Comparison of grammatical forms in a short poem
(Harvard ABLConnect, 2018)

11. A case study

12. The context
‘troubled’ technical module
results & MEFs challenging

13. Results:
Overall final results saw a 37% increase in higher grades (reliability and validity of test papers was checked)
The module received a significantly higher overall satisfaction rate in module evaluation (99%).

14. Results:
The module is really different along with the lecturer, a new vibe of teaching is offered. Mainly during the lesson we work in groups which I find highly efficient.
Activities enabled everyone to learn better.
It’s interesting and stimulating.
…highly effective...
Interactive learning with group work, games and activities is fun and it’s easy to memorise what we have learnt.
I definitely learned a lot of stuff that I think will be useful in and out of university.
MEF feedback

15. Can we adapt the format?
Yes – versatile for use within other frameworks, such as TBL.
Can be timetabled across more than one session, e.g. expert groups prepare in an earlier session, or for HW
Opportunities to include technology, e.g. by allocating texts/video/audio, or even as the medium itself (Jigsaw via chat?)
Jigsaw-style variations can be used, including ‘think- pair-share’, ‘gallery walk’ and ‘speed dating’.

16. Jigsaw Discovery Activity
Expert groups formed
Groups unscramble activity steps and discuss questions
Regroup to share expert areas
Whole-group discussion and individual reflection on one strategy to introduce next semester

17. Please keep in touch!
We are hoping to offer further training and developmental observations on Jigsaw-related tasks
If you would like to ask any questions, share experiences or discuss these ideas further, do drop us a line:

18. Useful Resources
Harvard ablconnect (online repository of activities, materials and tutorials): Berkeley Active Learning: MIT Active Learning: Janet Rankin: College Science Jigsaw class (MIT OpenCourseware) Harvard Jigsaw tutorial video Lightning Round (MIT) Speed Dating (Southern Illinois University) Think Pair Share (MIT)

19. References
Aronson, E., History of the Jigsaw. [online] Available at: Accessed 23rd January 2018 Aronson, E., and Patnoe, S., Cooperation in the classroom: The jigsaw method. 3rd Ed. London: Pinter & Martin Barkley, E., Major, C. and Cross, K., Collaborative Learning Techniques: A Handbook for College Faculty. 2nd ed. San Francisco: Wiley Carter, R. and D. Nunan, The Cambridge Guide to TESOL. Cambridge: CUP. Harmer, J., The Practice of English Language Teaching. 4th ed. Harlow: Longman

20. References (contd.)
Harvard ABL Connect, Jigsaw Tutorial. [online] Available at: Accessed 23rd January 2018 UC Berkeley, Active Learning Strategies. [online] Available at: Accessed 26th January MIT Open Courseware, Active Learning Strategy: Jigsaw. [online] Available at: 40ng Accessed 23rd January 2018 Riley, J. and Ward, K., Active Learning and Co-operative Active Learning, and Passive Learning Methods in an Accounting Information Systems Course. Issues in accounting Education, 32 (2), 1-16 Willis, J., A Framework for Task-based Learning. Longman.