The amount of times I have been assigned a reading out of a
textbook and not done it or just barely skimmed the pages are too many to
count. (I swear I read Chapter 6 though!) I think by the end of my high school
career, the way I viewed any assigned readings was: do the least to get by. That
meant spark notes, summaries, skimming, or just hoping I would be a good
guesser.
I think this is how so many students see reading assignments
now so I loved all the different ideas that were brought up in the text,
specifically Jigsaw. I love taking this strategy and applying it to a textbook
because I think it really gives students ownership of the material. When a
student is expected to be able to not only understand a text but also present
it to their peers, they are going to learn the material. This worked for me as
a student because the only time I really cared about fully understanding a text
in high school was if I knew I would be assessed on the material. Using jigsaw
is a great way to give students the feeling of being assessed but in a
different form rather than just a typical reading quiz. This creates a low
stress environment where students will actually comprehend the material rather
than just memorize what they need to get by.
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Hey Grace!
ReplyDeleteI totally understand what you were saying about students trying to do the least they can to get by in their classes. I was a pretty decent student throughout school, but I lived by Sparknotes! Students have a lot on their plate, really at any age, so you’re right assigning them a ton of reading isn’t going to be productive because they probably aren’t going to do it. I think the Jigsaw strategy could be really useful because it gives them a chance to “be in charge” for a little while, and I think students really appreciate when they can take charge of their learning. I definitely think the teacher would need to give them some guidelines to make sure they hit on all important topics, but this is a great way for them to break up the reading, teach it to their peers, and the best part for students: socialize a little in class! Great post!
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