Jigsaw Cooperative Learning Activity

I would use the Jigsaw method to teach word processing skills by splitting the class into 5 equal groups. Each person in the group would be responsible for learning an new skill, for example; inserting a picture, in an expert group. The other group memebers would be responsible for learning other skills. In their expert group they would learn the skill and discuss together how to present it back to their group. Once this is done the orginal groups could get back together and use their new skills to teach each other and perhaps produce a document that I have set specifically to showcase their new skills.

One advantage of this method could be that it could allow those students who are less confident to become proficient at a skill and have the opportunity to teach others. They could then be seen as a classroom expert so that when another student needs assistance they would know who to ask rather than relying on the teacher or one other student. We could display a list in the classroom identifying who is an expert at each skill.

A disadvantage of this could be that in a large class the groups would be rather large and hard to engage all students in learning a skill when computer time is limited. There is an opportunity for some students to take over, especially in the 'expert group' preventing all experts to develop a clear understanding of the skill. This could result in a student feeling pressured to be an expert when they are not fully confident about the skill. As a teacher you would need to monitor this closely.