Engaging Minds Together: Transforming Learning through Collaboration
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." -Benjamin Franklin
Authors: Ms. Madrika Mirza Kanjiani, Teaching Assistant and Ms. Rozina Khowaja, Instructor, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Pakistan, The Aga Khan University
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Introduction
Post-Millennials, or Generation Z or "Gen Z" refers to people born between 1995 and 2010. They are the generation most accustomed to technology and have strong connections to social media (Mahapatra, Bhullar, & Gupta, 2022). Gen-Z students prefer interactive teaching and learning strategies over traditional lecture-based teaching methods. Moreover, they prefer self-paced learning and an engaging learning environment with digital tools, and multimedia resources which provide them with opportunities for hands-on experience, and active engagement, making their learning fun, and enjoyable (Shorey et al., 2021).
Our teaching philosophy also aims to facilitate student learning through collaboration, and peer learning. We also believe that to address the learning needs of Generation Z or upcoming generations we need to transform our teaching pedagogies from traditional to interactive and technology-based teaching strategies. We also believe that teaching strategies should be tailored to the learning styles of different types of learners.
1. Jigsaw Teaching strategy: While planning for our class on “Care of the Patients with Immunological Disorders" we desired to opt for an interactive teaching strategy different from the traditional teaching methods, therefore, we selected a jigsaw teaching strategy. The jigsaw teaching method (Puzzle) is a type of interactive teaching, which was first implemented by Elliot Aronson in 1978. In this method, students master certain necessary concepts and then pass on their knowledge to other group members. This model functions similarly to a puzzle, requiring each learner to participate as any other puzzle piece to solve it and comprehend the finished product (Shakerian et al., 2020).
This strategy was selected due to the student's prior knowledge of immunology and immunological disorders from their pathophysiology course. We therefore thought that it would be easier for them to build on their existing knowledge through collaborative learning.
Additionally, the Jigsaw teaching strategy allows learners to actively participate in the learning process and take ownership of learning. Moreover, this strategy also provided a personalized learning experience to students which is also preferred by Generation Z students. As Generation Z students are tech-savvy, therefore, this strategy was most suitable as various digital tools like presentations, Padlet wall, and sources of class material was shared with students which also enhanced their interaction and collaboration with each other. Moreover, generation Z students possess a short attention span, and the Jigsaw teaching strategy breaks information into manageable chunks so learners can concentrate on particular areas while avoiding cognitive overload. Therefore, this strategy was found to be suitable for this group of learners.
2. The Process: We implemented this strategy in Adult Health Nursing course I, which is offered in the third semester of the BScN program, in both the cohorts of class of 2026.
In the planning phase, we chose the articles, addressing the clinical manifestations, pathophysiology, diagnostic procedures, medical and surgical management, and nursing care plans, related to four disorders including hypersensitivity, autoimmune disorders, HIV & AIDS & anaphylaxis and developed a PowerPoint presentation, pre and post quizzes, and Padlet wall for reflection and feedback. The class began with a slide depicting the feelings of patients suffering from immune disorders which provided students an opportunity to reflect and empathize with the sufferings of those patients.
After that, a pre-quiz was conducted to identify the students' prior understanding of the concept of immunity. Some of the preliminary concepts related to immunity like types, stages of immunity, and types of immune disorders were discussed. The students were then divided into four groups, named expert groups, each assigned a topic and access to resource materials in both digital and printed formats. They were given 40 minutes to discuss their assigned topic among themselves.
After 40 minutes, the groups were rebuilt by choosing three members from each expert group and constructing new groups, each with competence in all four themes. Each of these newly formed groups was then given one of the topics to present to the class in an innovative manner, such as through role play. The expert students facilitated the discussion on their respective topics, and after an hour, each group presented their allocated topic through role play.
3. Challenges: The challenge that we faced while implementing it in the first cohort was the formation of groups and then the sitting arrangement, which was time-consuming. Moreover, we provided only two reading handouts to each group (each having 18-19 students), along with access to soft copies. However, while implementing the same strategy with the second cohort, we ensured to overcome this challenge by priorly making sitting arrangements in groups and labeling them with group names. Additionally, each group was provided with 4 handouts of reading materials and soft copies as well to ensure everyone had easy access to reading materials. In this way, we tried to overcome our challenges, and although the process can be discouraging, the positive feedback received after class revitalized and reinforced our commitment to exploring this new pedagogy.
4. Student Feedback: The Jigsaw strategy was highly valued by most of the students as they found it interactive and different from lecture methods or one-way discussion methods. Students also shared through their feedback that through this method they were able to comprehend multiple concepts in a short period of time and were provided with the opportunity to deliver their content through innovative strategies. The students also appreciated the pre-test quiz that assisted them in identifying their prior understanding of concepts.
Recommondations
For the implementation of the Jigsaw teaching strategy, we proposed the following recommendations:
- It is necessary for students to possess some prior knowledge of the topic being taught, as this approach will help them acquire new information.
- To promote optimal student engagement, adequate classroom space and seating arrangements must be provided.
- Adequate reading materials must be provided to students to ensure easy access to content.
- Time management and planning must be done by course faculty to ensure proper implementation of strategy.
In a nutshell, students found the Jigsaw teaching strategy to be a useful and engaging approach that allowed them to actively participate and collaborate to gain a deeper understanding of immunological disorders. Despite initial challenges in implementation, modifications were made to improve the process, resulting in positive feedback from students and reaffirming our commitment to interactive and technology-based pedagogies.
REFERENCES
- Shakerian, S., Khoshgoftar, Z., Rezayof, E., & Amadi, M. (2020). The use of the jigsaw cooperative learning technique for the health science students in Iran: A meta-analysis. Educational Research in Medical Sciences, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.5812/erms.102043
- Shorey, S., Chan, V., Rajendran, P., & Ang, E. (2021). Learning styles, preferences and needs of Generation Z healthcare students: Scoping review. Nurse Education in Practice, 57, 103247. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2021.103247
