Jigsaw classroom
Elliot Aronson devised the jigsaw in 1971 in Austin, Texas, to reduce tension in newly desegregated classrooms. Steps: form diverse home groups, split content into pieces, study each piece in expert groups, return to teach the home group, then assess individually. Jigsaw II (Slavin) has everyone read all material and uses improvement scores for team rewards. Cooperative structures support achievement and relations (Johnson & Johnson, 2009), but teachers must check expert accuracy.
Frequently asked questions
- Jigsaw I vs II?
- II adds full reading for all and team rewards.
- What is an expert group?
- Students from different teams who studied the same piece.
References
- Aronson, E., Blaney, N., Stephan, C., Sikes, J., & Snapp, M. (1978). The jigsaw classroom. Sage.
- Slavin, R. E. (1980). Cooperative learning. Review of Educational Research, 50(2), 315–342.
- Johnson, D. W., & Johnson, R. T. (2009). An educational psychology success story: Social interdependence theory and cooperative learning. Educational Researcher, 38(5), 365–379.