The current education system is constantly receiving criticism and has even been described as ineffective due to its tendency to promote unfair competition.

Research carried out by Elliot Aronson and his colleagues revealed that there was a disparity between the children that came from rich backgrounds and those that came from poor ethnic backgrounds. This had to do with the fact that children from well-off families had better resources and generally performed better than their less-fortunate counterparts. Elliot and his team therefore embarked on the creation of a better system which they called the jigsaw classroom technique that was initially implemented in 1971 in Texas.

What is the Jigsaw classroom technique?

The Jigsaw classroom technique focuses on making sure that every child in a classroom becomes an expert on a particular topic rather than having them memorize every story. The goal of this approach is to foster collaboration as opposed to the traditional system which promotes competition.

The main principle of the Jigsaw classroom technique therefore, is that not all students have the capacity to understand everything. A focus on one particular area makes it easier for the students and having a group of them on one particular area encourages students to work together.

The Jigsaw classroom technique also managed to help students to form friendships better, thus overcoming ethnic barriers while also breaking cultural stereotypes. This type of collaboration between students also increased the level of empathy among the student and it also helped to reduce absenteeism.

The Jigsaw classroom technique might help improve the current education systems

The job market situation is not only changing in the U.S but also across the globe. Education systems should therefore change or be improved to match the evolving job market. The Jigsaw classroom offers significant insights into the potential direction that the education system should take to not only encourage student collaboration but also promote better performance and equality.

The Jigsaw classroom system will also go a long way into boosting social relations and also reducing the prejudice and stereotypes related to racial and ethnic differences. Widespread application of this technique might have an overwhelmingly positive impact on the future.