Chapter 18. Task Specialization Designs
lowestachieversaresenttothesametopic- eitherinthesameexpertgroup(asinJigsaw Twins) or in the "a" and "b" sections of an expertgroup(asinthefivememberoption). To form heterogeneous five member teams, simply select a high, low, and three middle achieversforeachteam.
Original Jigsaw
The Original Jigsaw method was developed toplacestudentsinsituationsofextremeinterdependence. To do so, each student was provided with only part of the learning materials, but was evaluated on how well he or she could master the whole unit. Each student on a team, therefore, had but one piece of a jigsaw puzzle, but needed to complete the whole picture. Details are provided by Aronson et al. (1978). The elements of original Jigsawinclude:
Specially Designed Curriculum Materials. Curriculummaterialsaredesignedorrewritten so that each member of a learning team has a unique source which is comprehensiblewithoutreferencetotheothersources.In the original Jigsaw, students read individual sectionsthatareentirelydifferentfromthose read by their teammates. This has the bene fitof making the experts possessors of completely unique information, and thus makes the teams value each team member's contribution that much more. For example, in a unit on Chile one student might have information on Chile's economy, another on its geography, a third on its history, etc. To know all about Chile, a student has to rely on histeammates.
The most difficult part of original Jigsaw, is that each of the individual sections must be written so that they are comprehensible by themselves. Existing materials cannot be used. This makes the Original Jigsaw impractical: books can rarely be divided neatly into sections that make any sense without the other sections. For example, in a biography of Alexander Hamilton, the part that describeshisduelwithAaronBurrwouldassume that the reader knew who both men were(havingreadtherestofthebiography).
TeambuildingandCommunicationTraining. Extensive teambuilding includes role playing, brainstorming, and specially de signed groupactivities.
StudyGroupLeader.Theimportanceofa group leader is stressed. Group leaders are selected by the teacher and receive special training. They organize the group, keep the groupontask,serveasgroup/teacherliaison, model productive social and academic behaviors,andhelpresolveconflicts.
Teams. Teams range in size from three to sevenmembers;originalJigsawusesfive-or six-member teams and five topics for each unit. Teams are heterogeneous with regard toabilitylevel,racialandsexcharacteristics, andpersonalityfactorssuchasassertiveness.
Expert Groups. Each team member is as signed to an expert group composed of members of other teams who have been as signed the same expert topic. Students meet in their expert groups to exchange information and master the material they will present to their teams.
Individual· Assessment and Reward. Stu dents take individual tests or quizzes covering all of the material of the learning unit; there is no group score or grade. Original Jigsaw uses very few quizzes (if any), and does not use team scores, improvement scores, or newsletters. Students simply receive individual grades.
Jigsaw II
Most of the material in this section is taken fromRobertE.Slavin'sUsingStudentTeam Learning, Revised Edition, by the permission oftheauthor{Slavin,1980).
JigsawIIwasadaptedfrom theoriginalJig saw to incorporate some features of STAD which were not part of the original Jigsaw and to allow use of existing curriculum materials.
Step 1. Introducing Jigsaw II
- IntroducetheIdeaofJigsawII. Toex plainJigsawIItothestudents,youmightsay thefollowing:
"For the next several weeks we are going to be using a new way of learning. It is called Jigsaw. In Jigsaw, you will be working on a team. Being on a team and helping each other will help you learn better about what you read. Each team member will have a special topic to learn about. After you read
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Chapter 18. Task Specialization Designs
the material, you will meet with members of other teams who have the same special topic and discuss your topic, and then you will re turn to your team as an expert to teach your teammates about your topic. Finally, every one will be quizzed on all of the topics. The topics are like the pieces of a puzzle - each expert will be working to fit in his/her piece so that the whole team and the students who contribute the most to their teams’ scores will be recognized in a class newsletter."
- Inform Students of their TeamAssignments."Now I will tell you which team you will be on. When I read your name, find your teammates and sit next to them. Then choose a team name. Choose a goodone, because you will use it for several weeks."
next period to have students finish their reading in class. Remind students to be sure tobringtheirExpertSheetsbackforthenext classperiod.
Step 2. Introducing Expert Groups
I. Finish Reading. Let the student finish their reading, if they have not done so for homework or during some other time. Ask those who finish early to go back over the material to be sure they understand it.
2. Introduce Expert Groups. As soon as almostallstudentshavefinishedreading,introduceexpertgroupsasfollows:
"Now you will all have a
Read the names of the members of each team and point out a place for the team to assemble. Students should move desks together to face each other or move to common tables. Record the team names chosen by the teams on the Team Summary Sheets.
- PassOutReadingMaterialandExpert Sheets. After the team names have been re corded, pass out the reading material and Expert Sheet to each student. Thencontinue
chance to discuss your topics with others who. have the same topic. In a moment, I willask everyone who has topic 1 to get together, and so on. In these expert groups you will be able to talk about your topic to decide what the most important things are about it. Youshould
Jigsaw II Schedule
Day1:Introduce JigsawLesson
Pass Out Reading Materials and Expert Sheets
Assign Topics and Begin Reading
Day2:FinishReading
Expert Groups Meet
Day3:ExpertsReportToTeams
Quiz
as follows:
"As I mentioned before, the idea behind Jig saw is that each student becomes an expert on a particular topic and then teaches it to his or her teammates. The first step in this process is to get a topic and then to read the material, looking in particular for information about that topic. In a moment, I will come around to assign you to topics. When I do, you may begin reading the pages indicated on your Expert Sheets. Be sure to read carefully, so that you may learn about the material in general and your own topic inparticular." ·
4. Assign Topics and Begin Reading. Go from team to team assigning students to topics. Make the assignments randomly; itis not important who gets whichtopics.
As you assign topics, have the students start reading and let them read until the end of the period. You may assign the rest of the reading for homework or have students complete it at another time such as during reading period, or you may wait until the
share your information so that others will share theirs. I will appoint a leader for each expert group just for today. The leader's job is to get every student in the expert group to help add ideas. Are there any questions?"
Point out a place for each expert group to assemble. If there are more than seven students in one group, divide the group into two groups. Appoint a leader for each group. The leader does not have to be a good student, but should be a student who hastherespectofhisorherclassmates.
When the students are in their expert groups, have them start discussing their topics. Encourage them to try to anticipate what might be on the quiz, and recommend thattheymakelistsofwhat theyfeelareimportantanswerstothequestionsaskedinthe topics. Work with each expert group, one at a time, to help them structure their task and use the time effectively. You may wish to give the expert groups special hints so that they will have truly unique information to bring back to their teams. Also, you may wish to give the expert groups specificdis-
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Chapter 18. Task Specialization Designs
cussion points to help focus them on the mainideasintheirreadings.Letthestudents work in their expert groups for the rest of theperiod.
Step 3. Experts' Reports and
Quiz
1. Experts' Reports. Have students return to their teams and report on what they learned in their expert groups. Again, the students should emphasize the main points and anticipate what might be on the quiz in preparing their teammates. If you wish, you may have a class discussion of the material following the experts' reports. If you do, try to draw on the experts in the discussion to emphasizetheirspecialskillsandknowledge.
2. Quiz. At least fifteen minutes before the end of the period, have students put away their materials and take the quiz.
AfterStep3
The procedures for Jigsaw II - figuring individualandteamscores,recognizingteamaccomplishments, returning the first set of quizzes,recomputingbasescoresaftertwo
quizzes, changing teams, and grading - are exactlythesameasthoseforSTAD.Because theyhavealreadybeendescribedindetailfor STAD (see Chapter 11), those procedures are not repeated here. The one procedural difference between the two techniques isthe weekly schedule after the first week. After you return the first Jigsaw II quizzes and newsletters and discuss the improvement point system, you may begin thenext unit.
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References:
Aronson, Elliot. The Jigsaw Classroom. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications, 1978.
Coelho, E., Winer, L &:Winn-Bell Olsen, J. AllSidesoftheIssue.ActivitiesforCooperative Jigsaw Groups. Hayward, CA: Alemany Press,1989.
Clarke, J. &: Wideman, R. Cooperative Learning-TheJigsawStrategy.Scarborough, Ontario: Scarborough Board of Education,1985.
Slavin, Robert E. Using Student Team Leaming (Revised Edition). Baltimore, MA:TheCenterforSocialOrganization of Schools, The Johns Hopkins University,1980.
Spencer Kagan: Cooperative Learning©
Publisher:ResourcesforTeachers,Inc.•1(800)WeeCo-op