Jig Saw (Expert exercise)

If you want to encourage students to collaborate and take responsibility during class, then definitely try the activating exercise called jigsaw! A jigsaw (or puzzle) is an assignment where students become experts on one aspect of a topic and then share their expertise with others. Student groups each receive a different ‘puzzle piece’: a different piece of information necessary to solve a problem/address an issue. With the jigsaw technique, students share the most information in small groups, which helps avoid traditional lectures. The jigsaw technique is very effective for allowing students to thoroughly study information and explore different perspectives on phenomena. It also helps them practice clearly expressing the information.

  • Type: a short-term group assignment.
  • Suitable for: large lectures, but also small tutorial groups – preferably the groups can sit or stand at their own table.
  • Time spent during an educational session: ten to twenty minutes.
  • Group size: three to six.
  • Preparation time: less than half an hour.

Limitation: the content of the course must lend itself to being able to compare or contrast information side by side. For example, perspectives from different writers, researchers, philosophers, or schools of thought (such as political streams, blue versus red organizations) on a specific theme. Or perspectives from different types of student groups (such as international students compared to classical high school intake from the Netherlands – See the Mixed Classroom model). Thereforzooe, Jigsaw is not suitable for concepts that build on each other.

Execution

  1. Start. Introduce the assignment and indicate what you expect from the students and how much time they have for it.
  2. Grouping.
    • In the face-to-face educational setting: divide the students into groups of three to six students. A simple technique to ensure that students do not always work with the same group members is to number the students and then ask them to form a group with the same numbers. A convenient way to assign different areas of expertise is to distribute hand-outs on different colored paper.
    • In the blended setting: pre-assign the groups through Canvas and distribute the literature or problem descriptions among these groups. Indicate how they should prepare themselves exactly.
  3. Distribute information. Assign each subgroup a different subtopic or segment of the subject. Divide this information or make it available online.
  4. First study phase. It is now the task of each subgroup to develop expertise on the subtopic by studying literature, brainstorming, developing ideas, and, if time allows, conducting research. Make sure that students from the subgroups sit together (in an online or blended situation, this can also be done using Zoom or Teams Meeting, for example). First, the students discuss how they want to study and discuss the information among themselves. Make it clear to the students that they are responsible for transferring knowledge to their fellow students. Allocate about five minutes for this. Then, begin studying and discussing.
  5. Swap phase. Once the students are knowledgeable about a specific subtopic, you switch the groups so that the members of each new group have a different area of expertise.
  6. Second study phase. The students first discuss how they want to approach the information. Then the discussion begins. Each member shares their expertise that they have built up in the first study phase.
  7. Monitoring. It is important to assess the extent to which students understand and master the content. Walk around the classroom. This lowers the threshold for asking questions and allows you to address any misconceptions. Use additional supporting materials where necessary. For example, you can create expert sheets with guiding questions so that the experts have something to refer to during the jigsaw group. You can also provide a checklist so that students can double-check the core elements.
  8. Wrap-up and feedback. Ask a few groups to present their main findings in a plenary session: what was the most significant problem identified, what are the key conclusions?
  9. Reinforcement. One possible disadvantage of the method is that students acquire only superficial knowledge of the topics on which they are not experts. To prevent this, you can immediately follow it with a knowledge quiz using, for example, Mentimeter. A more extensive form is a report that they submit later – a truly complete puzzle about the subject.

Example of jigsaw at VU Amsterdam

Want to know more? Check out the sources below

VU Taxonomy?

Knowledge base
Programme specific skills in applying knowledge and understanding
Open Mind
Oral communication

What total group size?

Up to fifty
Up to twenty five

What activity group size?

Small group (2-4 pers)
Medium Group (5-12 pers)
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