in text form, and each has the responsibility to learn a portion of the material.
43
To sum up, jigsaw is a cooperative learning technique that has each participant responsible for completing and understanding one part of the
whole. Each participant must share his or her knowledge effectively with the group to complete the „puzzle’. No one individual can do it all alone, so each
student is responsible for his own success through the success of the team.
2. The Role in Jigsaw Technique
Before the teachers teach the students using jigsaw, they must know what roles are for them and for their children and the roles which the materials
have. As the result, the teachers know what they and their children must do to apply this technique. Also, they know how materials they must design in
applying it.
a. The Teachers’ Roles
The role of the teachers in jigsaw is very different from the teachers’ role in traditional teacher-fronted lesson. According to Johnson
in Richards and Rodgers, the teacher has to create a highly structured and well organized learning environment in the classroom, setting goals,
planning and structuring tasks, establishing the physical arrangement of the classroom, assigning students to groups and roles, selecting materials
and time. Also the teacher provides broad questions to challenge thinking, prepares the tasks for the students, and assists them in learning
the task.
44
In addition, an important role for the teacher is facilitator of learning. In this role, the teacher must move around the class helping students and
groups. According to Harel in Richards and Rodgers, during this time, when the teacher being a facilitator of learning, the teacher interacts,
teaches, refocuses, questions, clarifies, supports, expands, celebrates and
43
Richard I. Arends, Learning to Teach 7
th
edition, New York: McGraw-Hill, 2007, p. 325.
44
Jack C. Richards and Theodore S. Rodgers, Approaches and Methods in Language Teaching 2ed, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2001, p. 199.
empathizes. Facilitators are giving feedback, redirecting the group with the questions, encouraging the group to solve its own problems,
extending activity, encouraging thinking, managing conflict, observing students, and supplying resources.
45
b. The Learners’ Roles
The primary role of learner is as a member of a group who must work cooperatively on tasks with other group members. Learners are
also directors of their own learning. They are taught to plan, monitor, and evaluate their own learning. Thus, learning is something that
requires students’ direct and active involvement and participation. When students learn in pair, they alternate roles involve partners in the role of
tutors, checkers, recorders, and information sharers.
46
c. The instructional Materials’ Roles
Materials play an important part in creating opportunities for students to work cooperatively. The same materials can be used as are
used in other types of lessons, but variations are required in how the materials are used. If the students are working in groups, each might
have one set of materials, or each group members might need a copy of a text to read. Thus, materials designed in CLL learning may support
jigsaw and information gap activities.
47
3. The Technique of Jigsaw Technique
Jigsaw technique has four generic stages in the process, they are: a.
Stage 1: Preparation The teacher considers the lesson content and determines
whether jigsaw technique fits his instructional objectives. He considers whether the lesson content can be examined,
learned, and then taught by expert group independently. He considers also the time that will be used and the group size.
45
Ibid, p. 199.
46
Ibid, p. 199.
47
Ibid, p. 199.
Then the teacher organizes the class into heterogeneous “home” groups. The teacher introduces a topic, text,
information, or material to the class.
48
b. Stage 2: Working through jigsaw
Students first work in expert groups to learn the material they will be responsible for sharing with their home groups
later in the lesson.
49
c. Stage 3: Adaptation of the original jigsaw structure
Teacher modify jigsaw’s original format to suit special needs or constraints in the classroom.
50
d. Stage 4: Using jigsaw as an assessment tool.
An authentic assessment of social skills and group process skills can be accomplished by observing students in a
jigsaw lesson.
51
The following steps are used when implementing the jigsaw strategy:
a. Divide the material needed to cover a topic into five roughly equal
parts. b.
Develop and assign homework questions or study guide over the material if necessary.
c. Divide the students into groups of five students.
d. Assign a different subtopic or section to each student within this
base group. e.
Put students in “expert” groups all students with the same part of material.
f. Give the expert group time to discuss and agree on the major point
of their part, and decide how they will teach their base group members.
g. When expert group time is up, have the expert return to their base
group and present or teach his or her part. Each student should teach his or her sub-topic in the same order.
48
Jeannie M. Dell’Olio, The Models of Teaching, Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, Inc., 2007, pp.255-258.
49
Ibid, pp.258-260.
50
Ibid, pp.260-261.
51
Ibid, p. 261.
