According to Jigsaw learning model, it is necessary to assign students to be responsible for a particular piece of the material. As such, students will be divided into four main expert groups to prepare reports on location and natural origin, plants, animals, and human interaction including protection and mosquito control.
Step One
Students’ division into groups.
Description
Students are divided into groups randomly. Each group should be divergent in gender, abilities and race. Every science group should include six members.
Rationale
Students would perceive the information better in smaller groups. As such, division helps to make the groups smaller though does not exclude any student from the teaching-learning process because every student would be assigned a specific role.
Step Two
Appointment of a leader in each science group.
Description
One student in each science group takes the role of a leader and manages the process of teaching learning instead of the teacher.
Rationale
A teacher cannot control the work of every group simultaneously and in detail. In this respect, formal leaders in each group can report about difficulties or ask for advice in managing the activity of the science group. A teacher can make hints to the manager of the science group on how to manage the learning-teaching activity effectively. A leader should organize the work in a group, make it solid.
Step Three
Division of one day lesson into 6 segments.
Description
Each student is given a new word for consideration. It is important for each student to check the relation of each word to one of the three areas of the salt marsh, tidal changes, plants, and animals. Each student is given one of the following words,
- salt marsh,
- tide,
- cordgrass,
- marsh hay,
- burrow,
- gills.
Students should prepare a one paragraph with five integrated facts devoted to the assigned word.
Rationale
Students should learn new information and make a focus on the concepts listed above. The test as a way to evaluate individual performance will include those concepts and require characterizing those.
Step Four
Assigning each students to performing the task they are given.
Description
Students are going to prepare reports on saltwater marsh topic and focus on the assigned key issues only. Each student should have access to his/her particular segment.
Rationale
Students become experts in one particular problem and can easily explain the nature of the words, their integration and related facts.
Step Five
Reading of the prepare material.
Description
Students should read articles and see the pictures and schemes that depict the saltwater marsh. Students should discuss the information acquired within an expert group to understand it better and see how others comprehend it.
Rationale
Students should take time while preparing for their teaching roles. As every student from an expert group should make a report, it is important to understand the information properly.
Step Six
Expert groups for detailed consideration of the problem.
Description
Students should organize the expert groups by means of uniting with students of who prepare the same material. The detailed consideration and discussion of the issues is required.
Rationale
Students should interact with each other by taking notes (learning from each other) and ask questions (learning and encouragement).
Step Seven
Return to jigsaw groups.
Description
Students come back to their groups and get ready to present the material to other students.
Rationale
Students organize the information they gathered to make sure they are ready to deliver it to the classmates, that their knowledge are sufficient enough in this particular segment.
Step Eight
Reporting
Description
Students should report on the topics assigned and make their group members listen and make notes. Besides, students should ask questions if something seems unclear or to encourage further explanation on the issue. Alternatively, the mission of asking questions and pointing to the one who should answer should be also assigned to formal leaders of the science groups.
Rationale
Students learn to tell what they have learnt and to listen to others actively.
Step Nine
Observing process
Description
A teacher should handle the task of observes to the leaders. They should be assigned with the task to float from one group to another with the purpose to follow the learning process, help disruptive students participate more in the discussion and insist on dominant students to behave more moderate.
Rationale
Leaders get experience in controlling the situation and students learn how teaching process should be organized.
Step Ten
Quiz
Description
A teacher should give a quiz with the purpose to understand the level of learnt material. A teacher says one of the six words from a new vocabulary and students who are pointed at should tell something they have remembered about the meaning of this word.
Rationale
Students should understand that the jigsaw groups division is not a game but a part of the learning process which is going to be assessed.