User:Gabrielle.wasserzug

Return to: ETAP 623 Spring 2016 | Gabrielle Wasserzug's Mini-Course

About Me

In December of 2014, I graduated from SUNY Cortland where I earned a Bachelor's degree in Adolescence Education in Mathematics. Currently I am working as a 7th and 8th grade Math AIS teacher at Troy Middle School. To complement my students' core math class, I design lessons that pre-teach and re-teach material as well as develop problem solving skills. I am excited to learn new and engaging ways to teach!

When I'm not at school, I love to stay active. I love playing tennis, running, swimming and biking. I hope one day to participate in a marathon or duathlon! I also enjoy cooking, baking, painting, knitting, and doing puzzles. I especially enjoy spending time with my family, friends, and of course my dog Buddy!

My Topic/Purpose

In this course, educators will learn how to implement the Jigsaw learning technique in a 7-12 math classroom. This learning technique focuses on cooperative learning in small groups.

Questions that will be covered:

What is a Jigsaw Classroom?

How to implement the Jigsaw Learning Technique?

How to move your classroom from a competitive environment to a cooperative environment?

How can educators design valuable stations that satisfy learning outcomes?

What assessments can be used to evaluate student understanding?

Learning Outcomes

Participants will be able to:

Identify and apply techniques to reduce prejudice and negative stereotypes within the classroom.

Identify and apply cooperative learning techniques in the classroom.

Identify key aspects of a Jigsaw classroom.

Design a Jigsaw lesson aligned to the New York State P-12 Common Core Learning Standards for Mathematics.

Design a Jigsaw lesson that accommodates multiple learning styles and ability levels.

Develop an assessment that appropriately evaluates student understanding.

Needs Assessment

Instructional Problem

To optimize learning, students must feel safe in their learning environment. Unfortunately, the classroom tends to be competitive and encourages students to out-perform their peers. Of course, this type of learning environment can bring out the best in some students. Mainly only the most capable and confident students. But what about the rest of the class? How does this competition affect the students who are less capable or insecure about their abilities?

According to a study, “carefully designed CL [cooperative learning] is more successful on a range of achievement measures than other classroom structures, but that competition in particular undermines success. This happens for a number of reasons: Competing reduces the probability that cooperation, which does promote learning, will take place; it generates anxiety; it leads children to attribute their victory or loss to factors beyond their control, such as innate ability or luck, thereby reducing the likelihood that they will try harder next time; and it functions as an extrinsic motivator, reducing interest in the task and creative performance just as other artificial inducements have been repeatedly shown to do” (Kohn)

It is our responsibility as educators to provide a classroom environment that promotes learning. To minimize these negative factors of competitive learning environments educators should establish positive cooperative learning environments. To do so, teachers must put less emphasis on competition and more on interdependence. This can be done by shifting the learning environment from being teacher centered to student centered. It may be scary to not run the show, however students miss out on valuable opportunities to problem solve their way to understanding if their teacher does all the work for them!

The Jigsaw technique is one method that can help foster a cooperative environment. Students will need one another to be successful. Establishing interdependence in the classroom can help diminish negative feelings towards other students as well as towards themselves. The Jigsaw technique also creates an alternative structured environment. If implemented correcting, a Jigsaw classroom can be an engaging and enjoyable way to learn. That is the key issue: implementation. Educators must develop worthwhile and valuable stations aligned to the expected learning outcomes to ensure student success.

What is to be Learned

The participants will learn techniques to reduce prejudice and negative stereotypes within the classrooms, as well as how to implement them in their own classroom. Similarly, the participants will learn about cooperative learning techniques and how to incorporate them in their own classroom. After the participants have a better understanding of the value of a cooperative learning environment, the educators will learning about the Jigsaw technique. The participants will also learn how to design and align a Jigsaw lesson to the New York State P-12 Common Core Learning Standards for Mathematics.

The Learners

The learners (participants) will include mathematics educators teaching in 7-12 environments. The participants will be familiar with distance learning. Additionally, learners will have experience with creating lessons that are aligned to New York State P-12 Common Core Learning Standards for Mathematics. Learners will have some familiarity with creating student learning stations, however are not expected to be experts.

Instructional Context

All instruction within this mini-course will take place online. Participants must have access to a computer as well as Internet access. If participants choose to use physical materials for their student learning stations, they should also have access to a camera or scanner to upload materials for their project.

Participants will have opportunities to work together and independently. The schedule will be fixed to ensure students can benefit from peer assessments.

Exploring the Instructional Problem and Solution

Participants will explore the issues and effects of competitive classroom environments. Participants will explore techniques to reduce prejudice and negative stereotypes within the classroom, as well as solutions such as implementing cooperative learning techniques. Participants will complete various activities, assessments and complete a project during their exploration of the instructional problem. Participants will also experience cooperative learning themselves.

Goals of this Mini-Course

The main goal for this mini-course is for participants to gain a better understanding of what the Jigsaw technique is and how to implement it in their own classrooms. By the end of the course, participants should feel more aware of the and effects of competition and stereotypes in the classroom. Participants should also feel comfortable in the future to design and facilitate one or many Jigsaw lessons in their own classrooms. Additionally, participants will learn to properly assess their students through aligning their assessment to their Jigsaw lesson.

Performance Objectives

By the end of this mini-course, participants will be able to:

Create individual goals for this mini-course, which will be used for self-evaluation. (Attitude)

Identify techniques used to reduce prejudice and negative stereotypes. (Verbal)

Apply techniques used to reduce prejudice and negative stereotypes in response to an experiment. (Rule)

Identify cooperative learning techniques that assist in creating a safe learning environment. (Verbal)

Discuss cooperative learning techniques with peers (Interpersonal)

Describe how to use a cooperative learning strategy in a math activity. (Rule)

Identify and list the ten steps of a Jigsaw lesson. (Verbal)

Design a Jigsaw lesson aligned to the New York State P-12 Common Core Learning Standards for Mathematics. (Rule)

Design a Jigsaw lesson that accommodates multiple learning styles and ability levels. (Rule)

Review and assess peers' Jigsaw lessons and provide constructive feedback for improvement. (Interpersonal & Attitude)

Demonstrate their progress through a self-evaluation writing response to assess their growth after the mini-course related to their individual goals. (Attitude)

Create an assessment that is aligned to their Jigsaw lesson. (Rule)

Review and assess a peer's Jigsaw lesson and provide constructive feedback and ideas for improvement. (Interpersonal & Attitude)

Revise their Jigsaw lesson based off of their self-evaluation, peer assessment, and/or teacher feedback. (Attitude)

Curriculum Map

For a larger version click here: File:Jigsaw Curriculum Map.pdf

References and Resources

Kohn, Alfie. "Is Competition Ever Appropriate in a Cooperative Classroom?" Alfie Kohn. N.p., 02 Dec. 1993. Web. 28 Feb. 2016. http://www.alfiekohn.org/article/competition-ever-appropriate-cooperative-classroom/.

"The Jigsaw Classroom." The Jigsaw Classroom. Social Psychology Network, 2016. Web. 28 Feb. 2016. https://www.jigsaw.org/.