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This post is co-authored by Yvonne Davila and Vanessa Crump, and was originally shared as a short presentation at the 2022 Learning and Teaching Forum.

The jigsaw technique is a collaborative learning strategy that involves dividing students into small groups to work together to become experts in a particular topic before returning to their original groups to share what they have learned. We use this technique in the weekly workshops in Scientific Perspectives for Global Issues (SPGI), a core undergraduate subject studied by all UTS science students.

The puzzle: understanding the role of science in addressing the SDGs

Our planet is undergoing significant change at multiple scales. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are an international framework of 17 global goals adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015, aimed at ending poverty, protecting the planet, and ensuring prosperity for all (UN, n.d.).  Integrating the SDGs into the higher education curriculum has been identified as a critical enabler for SDG implementation (SDSN, 2020).

Science plays a crucial role in achieving the SDGs, as many goals require scientific research, innovation, and technology to solve complex global challenges. Goal 7 focuses on affordable and clean energy, for example, and science can contribute to developing new technologies and energy sources, such as renewable energy. Ethically and socially responsible science graduates who can think critically and apply this to contemporary problems will play a pivotal role in addressing current and future global issues.

The jigsaw technique: developing collaboration, communication and critical thinking

In Scientific Perspectives for Global Issues, students learn about the SDGs in workshops by researching global issues such as plastic pollution, wildfires, water security and antimicrobial resistance. Each week, students work in small groups to investigate a different global issue and how it relates to the SDGs and targets. Students are assigned to an ‘expert’ group and a ‘home’ group. In expert groups, students critically read a scientific journal article and conduct in-class research on the global issue to answer set questions unique to each expert group. These guiding questions include:

  • Who is impacted? ​When was the study conducted? When did this become a global issue?
  • What is the aim and major finding?​ What is the scale of the problem?
  • Where was the study conducted?​ Where have we seen the biggest impacts?
  • Why is this research significant?​ Why does science have a role in solving this problem?

Students then return to their home group where each person shares their findings. In an opportunity to move from surface to deep learning (Almarode et al., 2018), students then piece together their research findings to construct an in-depth understanding of the science of the global issue and related SDGs and targets by answering the question: ‘How does this issue/study relate to the SDGs?’ Finally, students select three SDGs related to this global issue and indicate one or more targets for each goal.

Students complete post-workshop responses that are used to assess their understanding of the global issues and consolidate the skills developed in the workshops.  Additionally, the major assessment task asks students to evaluate two scientific journal articles addressing global issues and how they relate to the SDGs.

Completing the puzzle: student feedback and outcomes

There are several benefits of using the jigsaw technique to support students’ exploration and learning around the intersection of scientific inquiry, global issues, and sustainability, including promoting active learning, critical thinking, inclusive collaboration, and increased engagement.

Active learning and critical thinking

The jigsaw technique promotes active learning by requiring students to engage with the material. Instead of passively listening or reading the information, students think critically about the UN SDGs by analysing and synthesising information from multiple sources. Students reflected positively on these skills:

I liked the way that the activities in this subject helped us to develop critical thinking skills.

The best aspect was the gradual development of our skills as scientists, where we would read a scientific article and then connect it to the UN SDG’s. ​

Collaboration, communication, interpersonal skills

The jigsaw technique encourages collaboration among students. By working in small groups where all students participate in the process, students can develop their communication and interpersonal skills in a positive and collaborative learning environment, an experience which students also enjoyed:

[This subject] facilitated open and productive environment for communication and the exploration of ideas.​

I very much enjoy the collaborative activities we do during the class. It helps exercise our team building skills as well as our public speaking skills.​

Student engagement

By dividing students into small groups, the jigsaw technique ensures that all students are engaged in learning. This engagement can increase motivation and interest in the subject matter, as they note:

I enjoyed the variety of topics and case studies we took an in-depth look at, as well as the multiple sources of information from journals articles and scientific research and investigation we were provided.

I like how we get to read different articles every weeks, because I probably wouldn’t do that if it wasn’t part of a class, but they’re very interesting and relevant to issues that are at the forefront of our society today.

Overall, the jigsaw technique is an effective strategy for teaching UN SDGs to undergraduate science students. It provides an understanding of the role of science in addressing the SDGs, while developing skills of collaboration, communication and critical thinking that are essential for science professionals. 

Further reading and resources

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