Report #4
FIPP Activity Report
Funded by the Basic Skills Initiative
Name Nelson Espinola
Date 12/7/09
FIPP Partner Elise Geraghty
Section #2631
Activity /Strategy Jigsaw/Becoming Experts
Category Classroom Activities
Briefly describe the activity/strategy.
1. Introduction I explained to students that they were going to become experts in a
specific topic. It was made clear that they would research their own information
about the topic. Then they would interview other students for further expertise
development.
2. Set up & Supplies Students were given a handout that listed information on how
to get good grades. In the handout there were 10 areas to focus on in order to
improve grades. The areas were 1. Believe in yourself 2. Be organized 3.
Manage Time 4. Be successful in the Classroom 5. Take good notes 6. Know
how to read a text book 7. Study Smart 8. Use test taking startegies 9. Reduce
anxiety 10. Get help when you need it. Below each area there is
information/advice to help improve grades.
3. Directions Students were assigned 2 areas that they would be experts in. Then
they were given approximately 15 minutes to review the handout and textbook
for information that would make their expertise stronger. They were also asked
to write any information gathered on a separate sheet of paper. After the 15
minutes passed students were asked to meet with other students on a 1 on 1
basis and interview the other student regarding information on area of
expertise. Students were given 7 minutes to share information/interview, then
they were asked to switch.
4. Conclusion Overall this activity was very effective and i believe that the students
enjoyed the fact that they were experts. I believe that it also expanded their
awareness of different study habits and techniques. Although students were
asked to be experts in two areas, they were still exposed to the other areas
due to the fact that they were being interviewed regarding all other areas. The
interactions among students appeared to be very enjoyable. I believe that this
activity is very effective because in Human Development i get students who are
in their 1st semester up to their last semester, and therefore the sharing of
study techniques among these students can be very useful.
What worked well? The setup worked really well although it was my first time doing this
activity. Students were engaged and the activity had a good flow.
What would you change? Due to the amount of students in the classroom i was not able
to assign home groups that they would report back to. So i would definitely have the
home groups for sharing of information gathered by the experts.
Would you use the activity/strategy again? Why or why not? Yes. It was effective in
teaching study skills.
Please describe any student learning outcomes/changes that you observed after the
implementation of the activity/strategy. Students learned a great deal about study skills,
time management and other useful teachniques/skills.