Podcast-implemented Jigsaw

When I taught Chemistry at Edison High School in Fairfax County, Virginia, I used a jigsaw teaching method. Students were presented with a unit sheet and given access to teacher written topic notes and the internet. A sign-up sheet was posted in the front of the room with dates that the slide show would be presented. They then worked in groups and made a 4-5 slide PowerPoint on a topic from the unit sheet. They had 45 minutes to complete this task, and then had to finish it for homework if necessary, using the file sharing portal on Blackboard.com. I started each class with a warm up activity and the students presenting that day were excused from this to collaborate before their presentation. We went directly from the warm-up activity to a student presentation every day. I had the students leave their slide shows open and I would then introduce a worksheet, lab or modelling activity, referencing the introductory information on the students slides. I did this for every unit with my honors classes and every 2-3 units in my regular Chemistry students. Student feedback on this teaching style was very favorable and my state exam pass rate was in the 90s. I only stopped teaching using a jigsaw, when I went to Fairfax High School and had three classes of Special Needs students. I felt that I needed to provide more structure for those students.

Students love to perform, and the extended audience of the podcast can be very motivating. A video podcast would be an effective tool to deliver a jigsaw teaching style. It would take more scaffolding than the PowerPoints. I would start with the PowerPoints first and teach the students to upload these to the class Blog. After Unit 3, we would record an audio podcast of their slide shows (download software at http://audacity.sourceforge.net/) and post these to the Blog. Then we would add intro music and I would teach the students to use http://www.archive.org/details/netlabels to get podcast safe music. And finally, the students will end the year making video podcasts of their entire presentations.