1. Divide Divide students into small groups of four or five, depending on the class size. Divide the information, topic, learning materials, articles, etc. into four or five segments. For example, if it is an accounting tutorial, you can use different parts of a report. Experts Assign each member of the group a different piece of information and allow them time to read it, but not to discuss it. Rearrange the groups so that those with the same piece of information become the expert group of their own segment. Give the students time within these expert groups to discuss, consult, check for understanding and creation of a plan to teach their expertise to their respective groups. Share Students from each expert group return to their original group, which now contains an expert for each piece of information. Each student presents her/his segment to the group, demonstrating her/his knowledge of the content and ability to share such. Encourage others in the group to ask questions for clarification and further explanation. The jigsaw method is a collaborative learning method, first developed in the 1970s to address cultural diversity in classrooms (Aronson & Patnoe, 1997). The jigsaw method has since been expanded at all levels of education, from primary to tertiary, to reorientate cultural, affective and cognitive diversity into spaces of learning resources rather than as obstacles. “The jigsaw method can create a rich environment for intellectual collaboration and is a concept that has been used by other researchers in the field of collaborative learning” (Miyake, Masukawa & Shirouzu, 2001). According to Aronson (2009), the jigsaw method “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 team. This "cooperation by design" facilitates interaction among all students in the class, leading them to value each other as contributors to their common task”. Carpenter’s (2006) study of family and consumer science-related programs in the U.S found, in pre- and post-tests, that students’ scores improved most under the jigsaw method in comparison to the lecture, lecture/discussion, case study and team project methods. Perkins & Saris (2009), in an empirical examination of the jigsaw method in an undergraduate statistics course, report that student perceptions of the jigsaw method were very positive, especially as a learning experience. References Aronson, E. (2009). Retrieved online 8 th October, 2009 from: www.jigsaw.org.www.jigsaw.org Aronson, E., & Patnoe, S, (1997). The jigsaw classroom: Building cooperation in the classroom, New York :Longman. Carpenter, J. M. (2006). ‘Effective teaching methods for large classes’. Journal of Family & Consumer Sciences Education, 24 (2): 13-23. Perkins, D. V. & Saris, R. N. (2009). ‘A “jigsaw classroom’ technique for undergraduate statistics course’. Teaching of Psychology 28 (2): 111-3. Miyake, N, Masukawa, H. & Shirouzu, H. (2001). ‘The complex jigsaw as an enhancer of collaborative knowledge building in undergraduate cognitive science courses’. Proceedings of the EURO CSCL. Accessed online 7 th October, 2009 at: http://www.crest.sist.chukyo-u.ac.jp/bunken/download/010830ecscl.pdf Solving the puzzle of effective student learning: the jigsaw method in higher education Leigh Wood, Macquarie University; Brendan Rigby, Macquarie University; Peter Petocz, Macquarie University; Marie Kavanagh, University of Southern Queensland; Marilyn Clark-Murphy, Edith Cowan University; Theda Thomas, Australian Catholic University; Lynne Leveson, LaTrobe University; Peter Dixon, University of Tasmania; Anne Daly, University of Canberra; Tori Vu, Macquarie University. An Australian Learning & Teaching Council project, ‘Embedding the Development and Grading of Generic Skills in the Curriculum’’ (www.graduateskills.edu.au) has recently developed and trialled learning modules, which make use of the jigsaw method to promote the development of graduate skills. Preliminary results suggest that students perceptions of this method, in a case study analysis of the proposed pulp mill in Tasmania, were very positive in regards to promoting student engagement, understanding, critical thinking, teamwork and sustainability. This learning module, and others, are available from: http://www.graduateskills.edu.au/generic-skills/teaching-and-learning-resources/.www.graduateskills.edu.auhttp://www.graduateskills.edu.au/generic-skills/teaching-and-learning-resources/ Current research in the business curriculum