Jigsaw

JIGSAW //Assembling the small pieces to see the big picture//


 * What it is**
 * A cooperative learning strategy that encourages people to develop their own understanding and then share knowledge with the group.
 * A powerful learning and knowledge sharing method that embeds lessons when participants teach peers in the report-back round.
 * Working groups are each assigned a particular part of a problem, or puzzle piece, and the tools to develop knowledge on that specific component.
 * The pieces are then put together using visual materials and facilitation techniques.


 * When to use it**

- to review multiple cases, issues or actors that are part of a bigger picture (e.g. a series of attacks against human rights defenders, national uprises in a region, elections processes in a year, OHCHR interaction with non-state actors, case-law on economic, social and cultural rights) - to identify possible patterns in a human rights situation - to develop synthesis skills - to encourage comparative thinking


 * How it is applied**
 * Prepare a list of all the possible “pieces” of the session’s subject (for example, actors, country situations, cases of human rights violations).
 * Collect sources of information for the working sessions, including visual presentations. When appropriate, relevant documents should be made available before the discussion takes place so that participants come prepared.
 * Split participants into the appropriate number of working groups (6-8) to allow each team to examine their “piece” separately using resources or tools provided (such as brief articles, notes, reports, images or access to the internet).
 * Provide reflection questions that will guide the participants through all the important learning aspects of the “piece”, including background information, context, actors and consequences.
 * Ensure that there is an appropriate working space for the groups to document key points.
 * Provide access to the internet or other resources if the participants are not familiar with the subject matter or the "pieces" in advance.
 * Design a series of questions to guide the group reflection process. These should lead to background information, the opportunities and risks, the relevance, role and meaning of each "piece" to a particular scenario.
 * Instruct the groups to identify a note-taker and a timekeeper. This will ensure that the activity is recorded and that all questions are covered within the time limit.
 * Allow approximately 30 minutes for initial reflection. Then close the discussion and continue with reports in plenary.
 * Instruct each group to report their observations and key reflections in plenary. Each debriefing may take up to 10 minutes, to ensure it is clear and comprehensive. The reports from each group in plenary provide information to all the participants about the key recommendations for all of the "pieces" examined.
 * Open the floor for approximately 15 to 20 more minutes of final discussion, to ensure that the pros and cons of each topic, method or tool are addressed and that the group is confident enough to make future decisions.


 * How to adapt it**

After the initial round of reflection, create new groups composed of one representative of each original group to bring all the pieces together to form the full puzzle. The discussion then proceeds as each representative explains their results.


 * What to consider**
 * Instruct the working groups to use visual debriefing resources. These may include pictures provided with the initial article, diagrams created on flipcharts, or key words used as speaking notes.
 * A double debriefing can be organised at the end. A first debriefing focuses on what participants discussed within their small groups. A second debriefing can focus on the bigger picture that appears once the small pieces are assembled. An expert can give additional feedback in this round of debriefings.


 * Timing** (approximately 2 hours)

- Introduce the session and objectives( 5 min) - Divide participants into working groups ( 5 min) - Individual reflection and working time (30 min) - Review different “pieces” in groups (45 min) - Report back from each group (20 min) - Debrief on the “puzzle” as a whole (10 min) - Close session (5 min)

- one flip chart per group - instructions copied for each participant - pencils and markers - copies of the jigsaw piece materials - a computer with internet access for each group, if required.
 * What you will need**


 * Example in OHCHR**

During OHCHR's "Share, Learn, Innovate!" knowledge sharing workshop, participants were divided in small groups where every individual received a specific knowledge sharing method. Participants were given 30 minutes to read the materials and answer key questions, namely: “What is the knowledge sharing method about?”, “What are the apparent strengths of the method?”, “How is this method applicable in OHCHR?”. Every individual contributed to the small group discussion with his/her answers to these questions, which were shared in no more than 10 minutes. This was followed by a report back to the plenary. The final stage was an exchange of overall results among the participants.

The Jigsaw method was deemed effective for communicating complex information about multiple methods in a short time and generated a lot of ideas for potential application within OHCHR.

This method can be applied to analyse complex human rights situations and identify possible patterns (the bigger picture).


 * Where to learn more**

Brief video describing the jigsaw method with model maps: [] Interesting article about its history: [] How it is used with schoolchildren: []

//"We used the Jigsaw method at a recent Share, Learn, Innovate! Workshop. I found it to be a fast and participatory method of learning about different knowledge sharing tools"// (Katayoun Vessali)