The puzzle class is a technique ofeducational engineering allowing to promote the cooperation of learners during learning. So it's a training cooperative that takes place in a team of experts since it is the learners who develop the course together. The aim is to encourage learners to get involved and to build the training together. They are the actors of their knowledge.
The story of the puzzle class
This teaching practice, also called”Jigsaw Classroom” was created by Elliot Aronson in 1971. This American psychologist developed it as a cooperative learning strategy in order to maximize engagement, motivation, interaction and sharing since all employees have an essential role to play. The puzzle class develops a positive interdependence. In addition to learning more effectively and developing working relationships, this technique reduces everyone's hostility and prejudices. It is also possible to measure the effectiveness of training proposed.
What is puzzle class?
The aim of the puzzle class is to intensify cooperation between learners since maximizing one's knowledge and that of others greatly increases skills. It's actually a Social learning. This makes learning more effective and allows you to get to know your colleagues better.
The puzzle class allows you to gain self-confidence and to dare to give food for thought and debate since each participation is essential. All actors must participate in the design of the course. Thus, the work is not monopolized by the only part of the learners who are used to expressing themselves and giving their opinions in order to pool forces. Everyone's contribution is therefore major and necessary to build the final course. Working together as a team is necessary to achieve the common goal since each person depends on the other.
The principles and steps of the puzzle class
Class division
To develop learners' skills, the class must first be divided into small working groups called “expert groups”.
Work independently and then gather knowledge
Everyone contributes to the final work by documenting themselves and writing their part of the work. Then, with the colleagues in the expert group, it is appropriate to discuss the information collected and to bring together the ideas of each other to design the final work.
Research presentation
Once these two steps have been completed, the reports and materials obtained must now be presented to the class and the trainer.
In this way, each group by working on a different subject teaches the other groups of experts fundamental skills and knowledge. Finally, each learner was able to develop their skills independently first, then by helping each other to train more effectively.
These 3 steps make up the puzzle class.
What are the benefits?
The puzzle classroom has a lot of benefits, especially for learners. The puzzle class allows you to work on:
- Self-confidence
- The work of argumentation
- Autonomy
- individual responsibility
In this way, the advantages of this training are numerous:
- interactions are facilitated
- listening skills are developed
- Communication
- more dynamism
- learning is direct and more effective (long-term memory)
- greater appreciation of one's work and that of others
- The learner feels useful while building a learner community
To summarize, the puzzle class is a learning method, especially in the context of vocational training. This method is very effective for learning better, in addition to being very positive for self-confidence and for developing a sense of community. That's why the puzzle class is a gathering of experts: everyone contributes to the work and then offers the course. The involvement and understanding of learners is then multiplied.
