OZARKA COLLEGE

Eating an Elephant

One Bite at a Time

The first method we look at today is a continuation of last week. It provides students the opportunity to work in teams to achieve a common goal. It promotes team work that will likely continue outside of class. It illustrates to the students the benefits of collaborative learning.

The second method we consider provides a fun way to make a lasting impression. Students will likely remember some of the lessons they learn using this method many years after the fact. This works in part because it is fun and in part because it is out of the norm. Therefore, this is not something that should be used all of the time; it may lose some of its effectiveness.

The other variation of Jigsaw is when each member takes an individual piece of the puzzle. It is especially appropriate for groups of five or larger. For example, students in a course in geography might be grouped and each assigned a country. Individual students in the group could then be assigned to research the economy, political structure, ethnic makeup, terrain and climate, or folklore of the assigned country. When each student has completed his research, the group then reforms to complete a comprehensive report. In a science course each student group could research a different form of power generation (nuclear, fossil fuel, hydroelectric, etc.). Then the groups are reformed so that each group has an expert in one form of power generation. They then tackle the problem of how much emphasis should be placed on each method.

Role Playing - Here students are asked to "act out" a part. In doing so, they get a better idea of the concepts and theories being discussed. Role-playing exercises can range from the simple (e.g., "What would you do if a Nazi came to your door, and you were hiding a Jewish family in the attic?") to the complex. Complex role playing might take the form of a play, depending on time and resources.

If you have time and don't want to wait for the next bite, you can find the rest of the toolbox in myOzarka under the "Ozarka Resources" tab.

Or you can follow this link:

https://www.ozarka.edu/files/resources/teachingtoolbox.doc

I will be posting each section in the Student Success Center Blog. So if you are interested in checking out "back bites," you can find them there.

Or you can follow this link:
https://www.ozarka.edu/blogs/success/index.cfm/Weekly-Postings-for-Faculty-

Hope you enjoyed it.