Strategies

Jigsaw

Jigsaw is a cooperative learning strategy that enables each student of a "home" group to specialize in one aspect of a topic (for example, one group studies habitats of rainforest animals, another group studies predators of rainforest animals). Students meet with members from other groups who are assigned the same aspect, and after mastering the material, return to the "home" group and teach the material to their group members. With this strategy, each student in the "home" group serves as a piece of the topic's puzzle and when they work together as a whole, they create the complete jigsaw puzzle.

How to use jigsaw

1. Introduce the strategy and the topic to be studied.
2. Assign each student to a "home group" of 3-5 students who reflect a range of reading abilities.
3. Determine a set of reading selections and assign one selection to each student.
4. Create "expert groups" that consist of students across "home groups" who will read the same selection.
5. Give all students a framework for managing their time on the various parts of the jigsaw task.
6. Provide key questions to help the "expert groups" gather information in their particular area.
7. Provide materials and resources necessary for all students to learn about their topics and become "experts."
Note: It is important that the reading material assigned is at appropriate instructional levels (90–95% reading accuracy).
8. Discuss the rules for reconvening into "home groups" and provide guidelines as each "expert" reports the information learned.
9. Prepare a summary chart or graphic organizer for each "home group" as a guide for organizing the experts' information report.
10. Remind students that "home group" members are responsible to learn all content from one another.

Math Example

Home Group:

1. Blas (A), José Luis (B), Jonathan (C) y Juan Carlos (D)

2. Karen (A), Gabriel (B), Kelly (C) y Graciela (D)

3. Maritza (A), Ángel (B), Héctor (B), Andrea (C) y  Christian (D)

4. Mónica (A), Gabriela (B), Dayanara (C), Francisco (C) y Dajhanna (D)

Expert Group: (Operations with Fractions)

  A                                   B                              C                               D

Add                          Subtract                  Multiply                      Divide                        

Blas                          José Luis                  Jonathan                    Juan Carlos

Karen                       Gabriel                     Kelly                          Graciela

Maritza                    Ángel                        Andrea                       Christian

Mónica                    Gabriela                    Dayanara                    Dajhanna

                                 Héctor                      Francisco

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Jigsaw Strategy

Listen, Sketch, Label

Listen—Sketch—Label is an instructional strategy that was presented by Dr. Kristina Doubet at the Institute on Academic Diversity. This strategy was recommended to be used with ESL students and/or students with limited vocabularies. Here is how the strategy works:

1. Select an informational book or passage that is rich in content.

2. Carefully select the “chunks” of information that you will read to the students. Select smaller “chunks” of information when reading to younger students.

3. Tell the students that they will be sketching/ drawing the important information as you read each passage. Read each passage twice. Model what you would like for the students to do. Read a passage to students, talk about what was important, draw a picture, and write a sentence about the picture.

4. Read the next passage with the students. Ask student to sketch pictures as you read. Reread the passage to the students.

5. Allow time for students to write one or two sentences about the main idea.

6. Students should be given the opportunity to share their work. Then students should revise their work based on the class discussion.

7. Students should then write a summary of the content.

Collaborative Editing

This strategy can help us to add or to correct any paper that we write with peers help. This is how we can use this strategy with our students:

1. Groups of 4 or 5.
2. Pass papers to the right.
3. Sign your name in your color.
4. Read and add comments, data, offer corrections.
5. This takes 15 minutes.
6. Pass the paper to the right.
7. Reapeat 4.
8. This takes 10 minutes.
9. Pass the paper to the right.
10. Repeat 4.
11. This takes 7 minutes.
12. Pass paper to original owner, rewrite paper based on feedback.