JIGSAW

By Nickyta Nur Aryda

1.      The Definition Jigsaw

Jigsaw has first introduced and experimented by Elliot Aronson and colleagues in Texas University then have been adopted by Slavin and colleagues in John Hopkins University (Arends, 2001). This teaching technique has been developed as the cooperative learning method which is used to teach speaking, reading, listening and writing. Besides that, the language components can be taught by using this technique.

Jigsaw refers to a particular method of cooperative classroom organization and instruction devised and documented by Elliot Aronson (Aronson et al: 1978) and others to enhance academic performance and improve interracial relations in the classroom.

According to Arends (1997), jigsaw is a type of cooperative learning which consists of some members in a heterogenous group that have responsibility for mastering a part of material and have an ability to teach them to the other member from their group.

Jigsaw has designed to improve the students’ responsibility to their own learning and other learning. They are not only learn the given materials, but also they have to be ready to give and teach them to another group’s member. So, they depend on each other and work together cooperatively. (Lie, A, 1994)

In the jigsaw classroom, students in small groups depend on one another for information needed to learn a topic, complete a task, or solve a problem. Although each student’s information is dependently comprehensible, the ultimate learning goal is for everyone in the group to have the whole set of information. It is therefore each group member’s task to share his or her piece of information so that all the students know all of the material. In jigsaw then, students are individually accountable for learning their own material and for sharing their information effectively with other group members.

There are some important criteria that should be applied to classroom tasks in order to make group work effective. This list of five basic principles forms the core of Together We Learn (Clark et al., 1990):

a.         Students work in small heterogenous groups.

b.        Students work in positive interdependence

c.         Students are accountable both as individuals and as a group

d.        Students learn through ample opportunity for purposeful talk

e.         Students learn and practice cooperative skills as they study and explore the subject matter together.

In jigsaw techniques, students are divided into two groups, expert group and jigsaw group. Jigsaw group is a group of student who has a member with different knowledge and background. This group is combining of the expert group. Then, expert group is a group of student consisting of the member of different jigsaw group which is asked to study or learn some topics and finish the task which has related to their topic then explore them to the member of jigsaw group.

Kessler (1992) states the steps of jigsaw tasks done by the students as follows;

·           Each group member receives a different piece of information.

·           Student regroups in topic group (expert group) to master the material.

·           Student return to home group (jigsaw group) to share their information with each other.

·           Students synthesize the information through discussion.

·           Each student produces an assignment or a part of a group project, or takes a test, to demonstrate all information presented by all group members.

·           This technique requires teambuilding activity for both Jigsaw group and Expert groups.

·           This technique is very useful in the multilevel class, allowing for both homogenous and heterogenous grouping.

2.      The Benefits of Jigsaw

The main intent of Aronson and colleagues (Aronson et al.,1978) in developing Jigsaw was to provide opportunities for students to work in racially and culturally in mixed grouping in a way facilitating interracial and intercultural trust and acceptable while promoting the academic achievement of minority students.

Those Kessler’s statements give a point that in jigsaw technique students are trained to study and work in group which needs interaction and trust with each other and give a motivation for the minority students.

She also said that jigsaw provides an excellent learning environment for the acquisition of language in relevant content, the development of academic skills in carefully structure reading and writing activities, and exploring the relevant content in the use of purposeful talk in the classroom.

The jigsaw strategy supports the communicative approach in language teaching. Moreover, each member of the group is interesting in making sure that sharing of information is effective, because the group has to complete the task based on the complete set of information.

In the same way, Coelho (1989) states, Jigsaw technique of classroom organization is not designed specifically for second language interaction, it is admirably suited to the ESL classroom because it foster purposeful task oriented communication. The information sharing and discussion process helps students to acquire and refine their oral strategy.

She also said that by learning using jigsaw some aspects that will be growth, just likes the increasing of interaction opportunities. Increasing of opportunities to question and to negotiate meaning. Students become successful communicators because they have a genuine need to communicate effectively.

3.      Steps of Jigsaw in the Classroom 

Jigsaw is one of the cooperative learning techniques, is based on group dynamics and social interactions (Sahin, 2010).  It means that the student must study in a group (Anonymous, 2010:30). Thesteps of jigsaw techniqueas follows:

1.             First, teacher divides the students into small groups. Each group consists of three to five students. These groups are called jigsaw group. Teacher gives a passage consists of some segments of the material to all students in jigsaw group.

2.             Second, each student in Jigsaw groups is assigned to choose a section or portion of the material. After that, students who choose the same section gather and make a new group called expert group. In this step, the researcher gives time to these “Expert Group” to discuss the main point of their segment.  They may share ideas, opinions, and comprehension about the material and try to solve their problem.  After that, they return to their jigsaw groups and explain the material to each other, until all of them in jigsaw groups comprehend the material.

3.             Finally, give a quiz based on the material to find out students’ achievement (Slavin, 2005; Mengduo and Xiaoling, 2010; Hersulastuti, 2010).