ABSTRACT

Just as most of the Jigsaw cooperative learning strategies (of which there are over a half dozen variations) are ideal for implementing a student-centered study of a large body of information into the classroom, a number of them are capable of serving as engaging ways for incorporating a study of social issues into the instructional program. This is particularly true of Jigsaw I, Jigsaw II, Jigsaw Cooperative Investigation, and Jigsaw Synthesis). In this essay, I will discuss why and how I developed Jigsaw Synthesis (which is an adaptation of Jigsaw I and II) as well as how I use it for the purpose of engaging my students in a study of social issues. I have named the strategy Jigsaw Synthesis for two key reasons: first, for the obvious reason that it is a synthesis of various aspects of Jigsaw I and Jigsaw II, plus additional components; and second, because a key aim of the strategy is to provide a structure that encourages students to analyze and synthesize their new-found knowledge instead of simply memorizing it for the short term. That said, research still needs to be conducted on Jigsaw Synthesis in order to ascertain its efficacy or lack thereof in regard to stimulating critical thinking in students.