Jigsaw Method : An Innovative Way of Cooperative Learning in Physiology

Jigsaw activity was introduced to promote peer interaction and cooperation for learning in Physiology. The activity was performed on 1st semester MBBS students after delivering didactic lectures on the selected topics. The topic selected was “Mechanics of Respiration”, which was further divided into 10 sub-topics. The students were randomly divided into 10 parent groups, with 10 students in each. Each member of the parent group was assigned a specific sub-topic to prepare. Thereafter, all the students from the parent groups with similar topics formed expert groups to discuss and excel the given sub-topic. Subsequently, all the students returned to their respective parent groups to explain the assigned topics to their group members. A member of each parent group was then asked to present a randomly selected sub-topic. A feedback questionnaire was administered to the students; they found the Jigsaw method to be a healthy way to interact with peers, making learning interesting & effective. It also enabled them to comprehend better and enhance their communication skills. They were fairly satisfied by this teaching learning innovation. J Physiol Pharmacol 2017; 61(3) : 315–321 *Corresponding author : Dr. Bharti Bhandari, Associate Professor, Department of Physiology, AIIMS, Jodhpur Email: [email protected] (Received on March 12, 2017) long-term retention of acquired knowledge (6, 14). Incorporation of active learning strategies into conventional passive learning approaches has resulted in improved students’ performance (9, 12). The Medica l Counc i l o f Ind ia (V is ion 2015) categorically emphasises self directed learning and encourages learner centric approaches (13). The jigsaw method has not only shown to build comprehension, it also encourages cooperativity among students. It is further known to improve listening and communication skills (4, 7, 15, 16). This method has been successfully tried in various areas of education l ike elementary or primary education (8, 20, 21) nursing education (4, 22), Introduction The Jigsaw method is a form of cooperative learning, in which students are actively involved in the teaching-learning process (1, 2). The ‘SPICES’ model of medical curriculum recommends a paradigm shift from teacher-centered to student-centered learning. Active engagement of learners has shown to improve 316 Bhandari, Mehta, Mavai, Singh and Singhal Indian J Physiol Pharmacol 2017; 61(3) 4. Spirometry and the role of FVC and FEV1 in the diagnosis of ventilatory disorders 5. Functional Residual capacity; its significance and measurement 6. Ventilation-perfusion ratio 7. Compliance of the lungs and chest wall 8. Pulmonary resistance 9. Alveolar surface tension and the role of surfactant 10. Work of breathing The steps involved in the jigsaw strategy were adapted from Aronson with slight modifications and are shown in Fig. 1 (2, 10). In the modified strategy, the students were asked to present a given sub-topic in front of the whole class. The sessions were divided as follows : 1. Session 1: Students were explained in detail about the strategy. Ten groups, each consisting of 10 randomly selected members, were created. These were the “parent groups” which were named “A through J”. Each member of the “parent group” e.g. parent group A with members A1 , A2, A3,. . , A10, was assigned one of the above mentioned sub-topics, such that a each of the parent groups has members with 10 different subtopics. Next, the students who were assigned same sub-topics in all the 10 parent groups collected to form “expert groups”. Thus we had 10 “expert groups’, named “1 through 10” (e.g. Expert group 2 constituted membersA2, B2, C2... J2). The students were asked to prepare the subtopics for discussion in their respective “expert group” in the next session. Since 2 students were absent during the activity, one of the member was assigned two topics for discussion, so that none of the topic is missed by any “parent group”. 2. Session 2: The expert group worked together for an hour, discussing all the aspects of the given pharmacy (7, 16, 18) and in other fields (15, 17) but less so in medical subjects (3, 5, 19). Literature search could not yield any published articles on the use of Jigsaw method for Physiology teaching. In this study, modified Jigsaw learning activity was implemented with the aim of promoting peer interaction and cooperation for studying Physiology; and its effectiveness and students’ perception were measured us ing a va l ida ted feedback questionnaire.