Introduction
A tutor or instructor comprehend easily the way children study and develop since the children spend most of their time with the teachers. Therefore, the teacher can offer a good learning environment, which would assist the children’s personal, cognitive, intellectual and social growth and development. In addition, students learn more through viewing things in physical, thus, this is a good environment for the students to improve their intellectual abilities. Therefore, in this case the paper will discuss how the students will develop a deeper understanding of interdependence within ecosystem by examining on saltwater marsh using jigsaw strategy of instruction.
Jigsaw steps
The steps of jigsaw include;
- The teacher creating groups and giving an assignment on the following topic; salt marshes
- Each learner should get a sub-topic on the salt marshes.
- The students should proceed to the library and research for the relevant materials concerning their sub-topics.
- The learners should then leave their original groups and combine with an expert group where they are supposed to discuss about different issues about salt marshes like animals and plants such as cordgrass which thrive in such an environment (Grades Perk, 2005, par. 3).
- After the discussion, the members go back to their groups to teach their members about what they understood on salt marshes.
Description
When using Jigsaw as a model of cooperative learning, the teacher should create a ‘home group’ of four to five students and allocate them a certain topic which the tutor could have handled in the class. Secondly, in the assigned topic, the teacher should create some sub-topics and ensure that every home group has a particular sub-topic. After assigning the students the sub-topics, they should proceed to the resource center where they can read more on the topic. Later, they should depart from their groups and meet with an ‘expert’ group where they can fully brainstorm and discuss on what they understand concerning the topic.
After they are through with the discussion, the students should resume to their home groups and teach them what they know about salt marshes. Finally, the group is supposed to prepare some presentations.
Rationale
The rationale behind jigsaw as a cooperative learning model is that, when the teacher creates a topic like sea marshes, the topic is not biased as it could be if it was created by the students. In addition, when the teacher prepares several diverse subtopics which are related to the assignment of salt marshes, every group will be in a position to cover the same topic but different sub-topics (Weiner, n.d, par. 2).
It is very significant for the student to go to the resource center in order to gather relevant and deep information about salt marshes. When the students meet with ‘expert groups’, it will assist them in discussing and understanding the topic in a better way than if they could have read it by themselves. After the discussions, it is important for the students to go back to their home groups and discuss or teach their members what they learnt and understood about salt marshes. Therefore, Jigsaw model of cooperative learning is essential since it allows the learners of a group to handle a specific area of a course and understand it better than if they could have read it on their own (Bennett, Rolheiser & Stevahn, 1991, par.7).
When the teacher uses jigsaw as a strategy of giving instructions to the students, the learners will be introduced to the topic appropriately. In addition, they will be in a position to sustain a high degree of personal roles. By using jigsaw, the learners will establish group work and cooperative or supportive learning skills amongst themselves. Moreover, the strategy will assist the student to gain a great depth of knowledge and skills which they could not have if they studied the materials individually.
Individual assessment
In order for the teacher to understand the progress of a student performance evaluation is very significant whether it is individual or group performance. This is because performance assessment is an essential issue that concerns personnel management since it motivates career growth and development of the institution. By the use of the jigsaw method of learning, the teacher is in a position to carry out individual assessment.
This is because at the end of the task, each student is required to return back to her or his home group and present or give a presentation about the salt marshes. Therefore, the jigsaw strategy will clearly show the learner’s own comprehension concerning the concept of salt marshes. In addition, the strategy will disclose any misinterpretation about salt marshes which the student had (Aronson, Blaney, Stephin, Sikes & Snapp, 1978, par. 3).
Group assessment
Similarly, since each home team is expected to prepare some presentations concerning salt marshes, the teacher can go through the presentations and assess the group performance by looking at the quality of the presentations the group has. In addition, the teacher could incorporate the entire class in assessing the content which they anticipate in order for them to grasp the evaluation. By using the jigsaw model of cooperative learning, the teacher can prepare study guides, which contain all the concepts that each topic should handle, the manner in which the student or group should organize their work.
Through the study guides, the teacher can be able to assess individual and group performance. In addition, the tutor should evaluate the level of mastery of the student regarding all the materials. Learners can also assess themselves on the way their team performed in the jigsaw by encouraging one another, dynamic listening and looking at one another for comprehension and creating objectives for further discussions.
Conclusion
In conclusion, jigsaw strategy of instruction is important since it is offers the students a chance to train themselves rather than having materials given to them. Moreover, jigsaw allows each learner to have exercise in self-teaching hence, making the learner to become competent in using geological terminologies. Jigsaw also offers an opportunity for the learner to participate effectively in a discussion and as a result he or she understands the topic better rather than if one had studied the materials on his or her own.
Reference List
Aronson, E., Blaney, N., Stephin, C., Sikes, J. & Snapp, M. (1978). The Jigsaw Classroom. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publishing Company.
Bennett, B., Rolheiser, C. & Stevahn, L. (1991) Cooperative Learning: Where Heart Meets Mind. Educational Connections, Ontario.
Coppit, D., (n.d). An Objective Approach for Evaluating Individual Performance in Group Projects. Web.
Grades Perk, (2005). Teacher’s Information, Pre-trip and Post-trip Activities. Web.
Wenner, E., (n.d). Dynamics of the Salt Marsh. Marine Resources Research Institute. Web.