Ed 203 Preschool Jigsaw Activity

Ed 203 Preschool Jigsaw Activity

The jigsaw technique is a cooperative learning technique first developed in the early 1970s by Elliot Aronson and his students at the University of Texas and the University of California. In this approach, each group member is given a different piece of information that that s/he must learn and then teach to the other members of his/her group. Just as in a jigsaw puzzle, each piece--each student's part--is essential for the completion and understanding of the final product. Therefore, group members must work together as a team to accomplish a common goal. This approach is not only an efficient way to teach and learn but also “facilitates interaction among all students in the class, leading them to value each other as contributors to their common task” (Aronson, 2000, http://www.jigsaw.org/index.html).

This Jigsaw focuses on the preschool years (two to five) and issues pertinent to this developmental period. Be prepared to meet at the beginning of next class with other students who received the same topic as you in order to plan what you will present to the other four students in your group. Your piece of the puzzle is indicated by the number at the top of this page. Scroll down the page to find suggested links for finding appropriate information.

1. Physical developmental milestones including fine-motor development
See http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/showarticle/2324, http://tc030.k12.sd.us/Developmental%20Milestones.htm and http://www.underpedia.com/2007/11/21/gross-motor-skills/

2. Cognitive development
See the textbook and http://www.mc.maricopa.edu/dept/d46/psy/dev/Fall98/Ear_Chil/ErlyChild.html

3. Social development including stages of play (solitary, parallel, associative, cooperative)
See http://www.nncc.org/Child.Dev/presch.dev.html, http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/showarticle/2324,
http://ezinearticles.com/?Stages-of-Play&id=900253 and http://learningladder.org/fccp/mod2/part2.htm

4. The impact of daycare on children's development, including its effect on attachment
See http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content2/infant_day_care.html, http://whyfiles.org/087mother/5.html, and pp. 392-397 of the text.

5. The impact of attending a preschool education program on both middle class and disadvantaged children
See http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2005/11/01_pre.shtml, http://www.ericdigests.org/1994/lasting.htm, http://www.highscope.org/Content.asp?ContentId=219, http://www.highscope.org/Content.asp?ContentId=282, and http://www.nwrel.org/scpd/sirs/3/topsyn3.html