Learning Through Games: Jigsaw Method

One often underrated aspect of teaching is the effective use of resources. Being resourceful as a teacher means selecting materials that truly impact student learning, it does not necessarily require being particularly crafty or highly creative.

With that in mind, designing meaningful activities based on news articles can provide more than a reading task. It gives them a window into real-world issues (local and global), all while increasing their vocabulary and overall language development.

Before continuing with your reading, I invite you to watch a quick video about this subject.

About the Jigsaw Method

The Jigsaw Method is a cooperative learning strategy where each student becomes an “expert” on one specific part of a topic and then teaches it to their team.

This method puts learning in students’ hands, requiring them to understand for themselves and explain to others. The vocabulary is not learned in isolation, because the new terms are introduced in real-world contexts, news articles, and then discussed and explained in a team setting. Thus, it becomes meaningful and memorable.

Example: Learning about the environmental impact of fast fashion Jigsaw games

Take for instance a 20-minute lesson focused on the environmental impact of fast fashion. Using the Jigsaw structure:

• Students are divided into three-person teams.
• Each student reads one section of the article (e.g., causes, impacts, solutions).
• In “expert groups,” they discuss their section.
• Back in their original team, they teach their findings to their partners.
• The team creates a short-written summary answering guiding questions, followed by a quick vocabulary-matching task.

To ensure clarity and independence during the task, a student guide must be provided. The guide should outline the group roles, reading focus, and instructions, allowing students to stay on track and understand what is expected at each stage.

 What Would You Try?

One of the best aspects of Jigsaw games is flexibility. While this example explores environmental topics, the same structure can be applied to any subject social issues, science, literature, or even economics. 

With that in mind, I invite you to consider: What topics do you think would be great for a Jigsaw vocabulary lesson?

Here is a helpful infographic that summaries the blog.