A Study on Class Design and Management of Jigsaw in Online Class

Abstract

In this study, I conducted two practices of the jigsaw method in online classes. One is the ‘in-class’ practice, wherein students work on all learning activities during the class, and the other is the ‘prior learning’ practice, wherein they work on some of the activities before the class. I examined students' perceptions of each practice in the jigsaw online classes, in terms of class format preferences, time taken to learn activities, sense of participation, and ease of learning activities. The results confirmed that students perceived differences between the two practices, regarding discussion time for expert activities. Another finding was that they preferred the in-class practice, but felt that the prior learning practice was more effective for learning. Also, they found some of the online tools and learning activities challenging to manage. Based on these findings, the design and management of the jigsaw method in online classes were discussed. The results indicated that using some of the learning activities as prior learning can save time, teachers should take care in designing worksheets and prior learning, and they should state rules and methods for discussion.