In an academic context, EFL students must become proficient in the skills of reading and writing to meet the requirements of their studying However, many of these students do not like to read, especially in English, and some of them have never written a research essay or paper, even in their own languages. Group activities support students to do such tasks, as they can analyze and discuss the material together and peer teach each other. Unfortunately, some students still do not share in doing the activity, so they do not benefit from it and disappoint their teammates. The Jigsaw method solves this problem as each member of a group has an integral role to play, on which other members of the group depend to achieve the task. The students are in control and the teacher is a facilitator who helps and provides necessary explanation. Jigsaw provides the students with a chance to be responsible autonomous learners. Jigsaw technique is used here for reading and writing .
Abstract
In an academic context, EFL students must become proficient in the skills of reading and writing to meet the requirements of their studying However, many of these students do not like to read, especially in English, and some of them have never written a research essay or paper , even in their own languages. Group activities support students to do such tasks, as they can analyze and discuss the material together and peer teach each other. Unfortunately, some students still do not share in doing the activity, so they do not benefit from it and disappoint their teammates. The Jigsaw method solves this problem as each member of a group has an integral role to play, on which other members of the group depend to achieve the task. The students are in control and the teacher is a facilitator who helps and provides necessary explanation. Jigsaw provides the students with a chance to be responsible autonomous learners. Jigsaw technique is used here for reading and writing.
Key words: Introduction, Jigsaw in class, Review of Literature, Jigsaw, CL, The rationale and benefits, Effectiveness of jigsaw in particular, The EFL learners, Conclusion
INTRODUCTION
The jigsaw technique is a CL method that promotes effective learning and increases learner motivation, interdependence and social and linguistic communication skills. It was designed by social psychologist Elliot Aronson ( 1971) to help weaken racial cliques .It was used successfully to teach content subjects and proved its success in enhancing learner autonomy, critical thinking. EFL students must be learn basic curriculum competence of English to master this competence as the result of learned English. Four of these competences are reading, writing. speaking, and listening. Among the four skills above, reading and writing are the most difficult one. Reading is also something crucial and indispensable for the students because the success of their study depends on the greater part of their ability to read. If their reading skill is poor, they are very likely to fail in their study or at least they will have difficulty making progress. On the other hand, they have a good ability in reading, they will have a better chance succeed in their study. As is the case in writing skill is also from the most important curriculum to EFL students. this competence help for basics as the writing in exams and home assignments. jigsaw technique is supports for sharing activities in classroom of this competence.
Jigsaw in class:
Using the Jigsaw method to introduce these university EAP learners to the research essay is done as follows, First, the teacher chooses a research essay and divides it into four parts (A = Introduction, B= second paragraph, C= third paragraph and D = Conclusion). Second, the teacher divides 16 students into four groups and assigns catch group a part of the text, forming Groups A BCD . These are the "Expert" groups. Then, instructions are given to students as follows:
A. Read, analyze, discuss and write outline of your part; each group has to agree on one outline of the paragraph, but each member has to have a copy of it.
B. Identify, analyze and discuss the citations in this research essay and the ways the writer used to avoid plagiarism
In the second part of the activity, the teacher regroups the 16 students into four different "ligsaw" groups whose members come from each expert group, A BCD . The member from group A, using his/her outline, starts explaining the ideas in the introduction, points out the citations and discusses the methods used to avoid plagiarism with the rest of the group. The other members do the same so that each student receives an explanation and discus the different parts of the research essay. To do a concept check and summarize the activity, the teacher asks a member from each expert group to present his/her part to the class and to explain the ways the writer used to avoid plagiarism including the format of citations. After that, students write a research essay on another day
Learners usually enjoy this activity because they become active learners who have meaningful interactions with each other, which motivates and enables them to learn the material and enhances their communication, language a team working skills
Research Question
What is the purpose of jigsaw technique and how is it important for EFL students to learn the skills as writing and reading comprehension? And how can we as students use this technique in our study
What are the effects of jigsaw technique in educational institution ? And what are the benefits of this technique in education
The Aim of study
This activity aims to the students participation in classroom
This activity enables the students to increase their self-esteem in writing descriptive texts and reading.
Easily comprehend the material while they are divided into groups because they learn without being forced by the teacher.
It will learn how to organize students and texts to allow for learning that meets the diverse needs of students but keeps student groups flexible.
Each member of a group has an integral role to play, on which other members of the group depend to achieve the task.
Statement of the problem
My research will be about the suggest of a specific teaching approach which employs a critical thinking model, as well as to show the possibilities for structuring professional knowledge and enhancing learning efficiency.
The most problem will face us in the Tobruk University which solved by jigsaw technique is non-participate at classes so this method can plugs this gap if we apply in our classes.
When I'm in my foreign language class I just freeze! I can't think of a thing when my teacher called me. My mind goes blank" Horwitz,et al( 1986:12)
Review of Related Theories Reading and Writing
Reading and writing are important language skills. Every students must study and become master it. on this skills basic tools of learning. Reading and Writing are tools in accurate promoting life-long learning. By mastering these skills, learners have a technique to explore "world" and a chance to achieve their goals in life (Homby. 1995: 1225).To summarize, reading is an ability of cognitive process or interaction between the graphic symbols and the language skills of a reader. Reading is also a process of communication between a writer and a reader.
Koffka's theory, (1949) Social interdependence exists when individuals share common goals, and each person's success is affected by the actions of the others.
Vygotsky strengthen that social interaction with member of group more over a skillful teacher is way to develop students' competence.
(Slavin 1994) cooperative learning groups who apply jigsaw method, the individual success is oriented to the failure of others. While the goal of cooperative learning is to create situations where individual success is determined or influenced by the success of the group
The Aims of study
This activity aims to the students participation in classroom. This activity enables the students to increase their self-esteem in writing descriptive texts and reading. Easily comprehend the material while they are divided into groups because they learn without being forced by the teacher. It will learn how to organize students and texts to allow for learning that meets the diverse needs of students but keeps student groups flexible. Each member of a group has an integral role to play, on which other members of the group depend to achieve the task
Research Question
What is the purpose of jigsaw technique and how is it important for EFL students to learn the skills as writing and reading comprehension? And how can we as students use this technique in our study? What are the effects of jigsaw technique in educational institution ? And what are the benefits of this technique in education
METHODOLOGY
Student-student interaction is as important as the one between teacher-student in an effective instruction .To the present, although many teaching approaches and models were applied, it seems that the model that has ,the most supported student-student interaction is cooperative learning. The current century is witnessing Accelerated scientific progress in various scientific and technology fields Humanity had never seen it before, The changes that the world is going through are linked to the amount of rapid increase the information , As the world witnesses every day the born of a huge amount of new knowledge, concepts and experiences that the human mind cannot easily absorb and perceive as it should. Seldom goes a day until we hear about a new discovery or inventionBecause education is one of the important means of understand these developments , The educational institution must keeping up with this development and prepare their students to face all new developments with guidance and counseling. The peoples rise by the education , Whenever the level learning come better the nation’s elevation increased and its progress increased. The aims of education to develop and enhance the learner's energies and personality from all aspects to adapt to a developed and rapidly changing society by focusing on the necessary life skills such as the skill of communication, cooperation, problem-solving and attitudes and trends. Cooperative learning is a teaching model in which students perform learning tasks with each other in sharing, understanding, dialogue and information related to skills, as well as helping each other in the learning process and during this effective performance and interaction they develop personal, social and positive competencies, as cooperative learning is an organized, accurate and non-improvisational work It needs planning, implementation, decision-making, procedures and evaluation to achieve its goals, and it increases the opportunities for interaction between students and increases their chances of learning various skills, which leads to raising their level of performance. The aims of education to develop and enhance the energies and personality of the learners from all aspects to adapt to a developed and rapidly changing society by focusing on the necessary life skills such as the skill of communication, cooperation, problem-solving and attitudes and trends . Cooperative learning is a teaching pattern in which students use learning tasks with each other in sharing, understanding, dialogue and information related to skills, as well as helping each other in the learning process and during this effective performance and interaction they develop personal, social and positive competencies, as cooperative learning is an organized, accurate and work It needs planning, implementation, decision-making, procedures and evaluation to achieve its goals, and it increases the opportunities for interaction between students and increases their chances of learning various skills, which leads to raising their level of performance An academic context In the context of an English medium university, an EAP course introduces students to academic reading skills and strategies and writing conventions which they are expected to know by the professors of their fields of study. Many EFL students have weak reading skills, problems with academic writing in general, and research essay/paper writing in particular, and are unfamiliar with these conventions. They do not like reading, so they avoid it; in addition. due to their weak English language and reading skills, they are reluctant to read in English. In writing, plagiarism is one of the main problems they have in writing a research essay/paper, which is done either because of weak language skills, or practices in their language backgrounds or school education
Jigsaw
Jigsaw technique can be defined as a method of organizing classroom activity that makes students dependent on each other to succeed. It breaks classes into groups and breaks assignments into pieces that the group assembles to complete the (jigsaw) puzzle. It was designed by social psychologist Elliot Aronson to help weaken racial cliques in forcibly integrated schools. The technique splits classes into mixed groups to work on small problems that the group collates into a final outcome. For example, an in-class assignment is divided into topics. Students are then split into groups with one member assigned to each topic. Working individually, each student learns about his or her topic and presents it to their group. Next, students gather into groups divided by topic. Each member presents again to the topic group. In same-topic groups, students reconcile points of view and synthesize information. They create a final report. Finally, the original groups reconvene and listen to presentations from each member. The final presentations provide all group members with an understanding of their own material, as well as the findings that have emerged from topic-specific group discussion. It is a cooperative learning method that brings about both individual accountability and achievement of the team goals. ■This processes derive its name from the jigsaw puzzle as this process involves in putting the parts of the assignment together to form a whole picture of the assignment which is similar to the jigsaw puzzle
The assignment is divided into parts and the class is also divided into the same number of groups as that of the assignment.
Each of these group is given a different topic and allowed to learn about it. These groups are shuffled to form new groups consisting of members from each group
CL
Cooperative learning is an approach to workgroup that minimizes the occurrence of those unpleasant situations and maximizes the learning and satisfaction that result from working on a high-performance team. A large and rapidly growing body of research confirms the effectiveness of cooperative learning in higher education . Relative to students taught traditionally-i.e., with instructor-centered lectures, individual assignments, and competitive grading-cooperatively taught students tend academic achievement, greater persistence through graduation, better high-level reasoning and critical thinking skills, deeper understanding of learned material, greater time on task and less disruptive behavior in class, lower levels of anxiety and stress, greater intrinsic motivation to learn and achieve, greater ability to view situations from others' perspectives, more positive and supportive relationships with peers, more positive attitudes toward subject areas, and higher self-esteem. Another nontrivial benefit for instructors is that when assignments are done cooperatively, the number of papers to grade decreases by a factor of three or four. exhibit higher There are several reasons why cooperative learning works as well as it does. The idea that students learn more by doing something active than by simply watching and listening has long been known to both cognitive psychologists and effective teachers and cooperative learning is by its nature an active method. Beyond that, cooperation enhances learning in several ways. Weak students working individually are likely to give up when they get stuck; working cooperatively, they keep going. Strong students faced with the task of explaining and clarifying material to weaker students often find gaps in their own understanding and fill them in.. Therefore, a gradual introduction to such academic conventions and skills is necessary. In order to motivate students to learner and practice the required tasks, CL. through group activities is used in class. Jigsaw is a method of CL that involves each member in the activity and engages him/her with the material
The rationale and benefits
Cooperative learning and group activities have long been implemented to motivate and involve learners in class work and to engage them with the material. They enable learners to work on a task together, which gives them the chance to discuss the ideas and peer teach each other. Due to the change in roles, since the teacher becomes a facilitator, students feel in control and enjoy the activity
The jigsaw method, in addition to the above, fosters learner responsibility, positive interdependence and teamwork skills , since each member of the group has a role to play, on which the other members depend, to complete the task. This ensures the participation of each member of the group because, otherwise, the rest of the group suffers and becomes very upset with this group member. This also motivates and engages learners with the material in every part of the activity, which enables them to practice the four language skills and enhances effective learning and critical thinking skills. Apart from this, the activity takes the pressure off the teacher. since he or she becomes a facilitator while students peer teach each other
How to apply jigsaw technique in the classroom ?\
JIGSAW IN 10 STEPS
The jigsaw classroom is very simple to use. If our teachers, just follow these steps
The first step divide students into 5- or 6-person jigsaw groups. The groups should be diverse in terms of gender, ethnicity, race, and ability
The second appoint one student from each group as the leader. Initially, this person should be the most mature student in the group
The third step divide the day’s lesson into 5-6 segments. For example, if you want students to learn about reading Comprehension, you might divide the text into five paragraphs. At the first group a teacher read the first paragraph then expound the idea of the paragraph and give the definition of new words and how the students give their opinions about the paragraph . And follow the same method in the other groups ,But if teacher want the students to learn about writing For example to writer a narrative essay
(1)Prewriting how choose a topic and outline the details
(2)Drafting sequence the events of the story ,use vivid details to describe a point of view and the settings
(3)Revising how to use purposeful and clear language the students in this group should study to make the story follow organized sequence
(4)Editing check for spelling and grammar errors ensure the story reads in the correct way
(5)Publishing get the feedback on their storytelling abilities and making the Introduction present the methods used and the conclusion of and say what results and whether they coincide with the expectations of term paper
Step four assign each student to learn one segment. Make sure students have direct access only to their own segment.
Then give students time to read over their segment at least twice and become familiar with it. There is no need for them to memorize it.
Step six Form temporary “expert groups” by having one student from each jigsaw group join other students assigned to the same segment. Give students in these expert groups time to discuss the main points of their segment and to rehearse the presentations they will make to their jigsaw group
Step seven bring the students back into their jigsaw groups
Step eight ask each student to present her or his segment to the group. Encourage others in the group to ask questions for clarification
Before the last float from group to group, observing the process. If any group is having trouble (e.g., a member is dominating or disruptive), make an appropriate intervention. Eventually, it's best for the group leader to handle this task. Leaders can be trained by whispering an instruction on how to intervene, until the leader gets the hang of it
The last step at the end of the session, give a quiz on the material. Students quickly come to realize that these sessions are not just fun and games but really count
Description
The jigsaw activity is divided into two parts. First, the teacher divides the class into "expert" groups (fig 1a) to do one task using different materials and, in the second part, these groups are regrouped into "jigsaw" groups(fig . 1b) which consist of one member of each of the expert groups; then, each member explains to the rest of the jigsaw group the part he or she worked on with the expert group Meanwhile. the teacher moves around the class to encourage learner participation and answer queries. Thus, in the end, all learners receive an explanation and discuss all the materials used in the activity
Overall benefits of the jigsaw technique
- The jigsaw classroom has a four-decade track record of successfully reducing racial conflict and increasing positive educational outcomes such as improved test performance, reduced absenteeism, and greater liking for school
- If each student's part is essential, then each student is essential; and that is precisely what makes this strategy so effective
- Students are directly engaged with the material, instead of having material presented to them, which fosters depth of understanding
- Students gain practice in self-teaching, which is one of the most valuable skills we can help them learn
- Students gain practice in peer teaching, which requires them to understand the material at a deeper level than students typically do when simply asked to produce on an exam
In order to implement Jigsaw in class, the teacher needs a group of nine or 16 learners so that they can be divided into groups of three or four learners each. In a large class, the teacher needs groups of nine, or 16, or 25 learners to do the activity for which the materials are divided into three, or four, or five parts
Effectiveness of jigsaw in particular
Cooperative learning works well when
1- Students are interdependent in a positive way
2- individuals are accountable
3- students interact to promote student learning
4- groups use good teamwork skills, and
5- students have an opportunity for analyzing how well their groups are functioning Each student must not only be involved in peer teaching in a mixed group but also must help others in the group learn in order for the group to be able to carry out the group synthesis/analysis task (1 and 3 above). Success in the group task requires individuals to be accountable, to interact to promote peer learning, and to depend upon each other in positive ways (2 above). The fourth and fifth components of successful cooperative learning are not inherent in the jigsaw structure but can be addressed by the instructor in a variety of ways, including starting with lower stakes interactions early in the semester and setting aside time for students to reflect on what is working and what isn't. Two critical ideas emerge concluded through my research on jigsaw: The jigsaw structure produces long-term learning gains when the group engages in a culminating analytical group task that requires actively using all team members' contributions for a group analysis or problem-solving task If group members only have to interact to learn what individual students know, rewarding the group for the successful performance of individuals in the group seems to be necessary to produce more than marginal increases in student achievement For these reasons, the jigsaws described in this Pedagogy in Action module emphasize the importance of a culminating group problem-solving task
The course
In the first part of the semester, the students learn and practice the conventions and skills of essay writing and summary writing, which includes citing the source in the summary and paraphrasing the information. In the second part of the semester, the learners are introduced to and required to write a research essay. The aim of this step by step introduction to the elements of writing a research essay, which is the kind of writing the students will do in their academic studies, is to prevent copying of information and to facilitate citing of sources, when paraphrasing and/or quoting, and integrating this information into their own writing. As regards reading and vocabulary, skills and strategies are taught and pructiced throughout the semester to improve students" performance
The (FIG .2.A) . are expert groups the groups of learning after students regroup in the jigsaw groups (FIG.2.B
Jigsaw in class
Using the Jigsaw method to introduce these university EAP learners to the research essay is done as follows, First, the teacher chooses a research essay and divides it into four parts (A = Introduction, B= second paragraph, C= third paragraph and D = Conclusion). Second, the teacher divides 16 students into four groups and assigns catch group a part of the text, forming Groups A BCD . These are the "Expert" groups. Then, instructions are given to students as follows
A. Read, analyze, discuss and write outline of your part; each group has to agree on one outline of the paragraph, but each member has to have a copy of it
B. Identify, analyze and discuss the citations in this research essay and the ways the writer used to avoid plagiarism
In the second part of the activity, the teacher regroups the 16 students into four different "ligsaw" groups whose members come from each expert group, A BCD . The member from group A, using his/her outline, starts explaining the ideas in the introduction, points out the citations and discusses the methods used to avoid plagiarism with the rest of the group. The other members do the same so that each student receives an explanation and discus the different parts of the research essay. To do a concept check and summarize the activity, the teacher asks a member from each expert group to present his/her part to the class and to explain the ways the writer used to avoid plagiarism including the format of citations. After that, students write a research essay on another day
Learners usually enjoy this activity because they become active learners who have meaningful interactions with each other, which motivates and enables them to learn the material and enhances their communication, language a team working skills
The EFL learners
English foreign language learners in courses at the tertiary level, freshman students at an American university study academic reading and writing, summary writing and basic research skills. It must be noted here that the majority of these EFL leamers have never writen a research essay in their lives; very few of them have written a research essay in the language of instruction at school (French ) and even fewer have written it in English
Conclusion
Academic reading and writing are challenging for both the students and the teacher, as keeping the student engaged in class is quite difficult, especially when the materials are sometimes dry and they do not like reading or writing. Jigsaw, is a variation of in-class activities to motivate and keep learners engaged and focused on the text and task at hand is an interesting and useful CL method that promotes effective learning, critical thinking, learner autonomy, empathy, positive team interdependence and social and linguistic communication skills. It can also be used with any ESL/EAI reading and writing classes and with different class sizes
The task
Since students can already write a 400 (+/-) word essay, writing a 600 (+/-) word essay using only two short articles is seen as manageable and controlled at the same time, for both students and teacher. Without confusing the students with muny sources, the task is adoquate for introducing and giving students a chance to practice the skills of paraphrasing, quoting, integrating information from sources into their own writing, citing these sources and using the appropriate citation format. Limiting the sources also enables the teacher to casily point out the plagiarism and/or mistakes in the application of these skills
References
Aronson, E. (2000). Nobody Left to Hate. The Humanist, 60, 17 - 21.
Aronson, E. & Patnoe, S. (1997). The Jigsaw Classroom: Building Cooperation in the Classroom. New York, NY: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc
Komiyama, R. (2009). CAR: A Means for Motivating Students to Read. English Teaching Forum, 2009 (3), 32 - 37
Sarobol, N. (2012). Implementing Cooperative Learning in English Language Classroom: Thai University Students' Perceptions. The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, 6 (10), 111 - 122. Retrieved from: http://www.SocialSciences-Journal.com
Shaaban, K. (2006). An Initial Study of the Effects of Cooperative Learning on Reading Comprehension Vocabulary Acquisition and Motivation to Read. Reading Psychology, 27, 377 - 403. DOI: 10.1080/02702710600846613
Tekbiyik, A. (2015). The Use of Jigsaw Collaborative Learning Method in Teaching Socio-Scientific Issues: The Case of Nuclear Energy. Journal of Baltic Science Education, 14 (2), 237 - 253
Zuo, W. (2011). The Effects of Cooperative Learning on Improving College Students' Reading Comprehension. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 1 (8), 986 - 989. DOI: 10.4304/tpls.1.8.986-989
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- Quote paper
- Nasr Murajia Abdulrraziq (Author), 2022, Techniques in Reading and Writing Skills Using Jigsaw for EFL Students, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1236334
