explore · Knowledge Sharing, Team Building · 45–90 min · 10-40 people in groups of 4-6 · medium energy

Jigsaw

Split the material into segments. Each person in a home group takes one segment, meets people from other home groups who have the same segment to master it together, then goes back home to teach it. Nobody can get the whole picture without everyone else.

When to use Jigsaw

Use when a group needs to take in a lot of material quickly and you want everyone to engage with it actively rather than listen to a presentation.

What it solves

Pre-reading is skipped and long briefings are forgotten by the next break.

How to run Jigsaw, step by step

  1. Divide the content into as many segments as there are people per home group (prep).
  2. Form mixed home groups of 4-6 and give each person one segment (5 min).
  3. Individual reading time for the segment (10 min).
  4. Expert groups: people with the same segment discuss the main points and rehearse how they will explain them (15 min).
  5. Back in home groups, each expert teaches their segment and takes questions (20-25 min).
  6. Check understanding of the whole with a short quiz or a synthesis task (10 min).

Materials needed

  • Content split into segments, printed or shared
  • Space for groups to move between tables

Facilitator tips

  • Make segments roughly equal in length and difficulty.
  • Appoint someone in each home group to keep time and make sure everyone teaches.
  • Visit groups during the teaching round and step in if someone is struggling.

Common pitfalls

  • A segment owner who did not prepare leaves a hole the whole group feels.
  • Expert groups run long and the teaching round gets squeezed.

Variations

  • Use it for case studies: each expert analyses one case, then home groups compare across cases.

Running it online or hybrid

Use breakout rooms for expert groups and home groups, and share each segment as a link.

What it produces

A shared understanding of the full material across every home group, plus any synthesis the groups produce.

Origin

Developed by social psychologist Elliot Aronson and his students in the early 1970s. — source

Build a session around Jigsaw

METODIC places Jigsaw inside a complete, timed session plan — agenda, worksheets, facilitator guide and slides — matched to your group and goal.

Generate a session with Jigsaw · Try METODIC free