A lively discussion is usually helpful, because the hottest fire makes the hardest steel.
Tom Clancy (1947—2013)
American author
Jigsaw is a game and method for working group aiming at results and enhancing group cohesion.
Process of Jigsaw
Are people hesitating to open up for group work? Well, in 1971 Elliott Aronson (*1932) invented a method to bring students of different ethnic background together. It is still a wonderful way of mixing up groups and getting results. Everybody is part of a jigsaw puzzle and is necessary to create the whole image.
You’ll have groups of four (max. five) working on an overall topic, but four subtopics related to this are given to each group. Thus, each individual gets a subtopic to work on and the members of that group will become an expert on their particular subtopic. After a defined time all the experts meet on their topic and discuss it. After returning to their group, they report on their topic or deliver a presentation on it, which might perhaps be followed by a test for the other members.
The success comes from the fact that a participant only gets the whole picture (and can succeed in the test) if he listens carefully to the other experts of his group. Accordingly, for group work during a workshop (without a test), it is suggested that you as moderator spontaneously decide who presents the group’s result. Make this clear in advance to ensure that everybody listens carefully to the others [for more information www.jigsaw.org].