Re: GEN Read a book in an hour? - jigsawing

[Alice Yucht <AliceInfo@AOL.COM>]

"Jigsawing" is a "cooperative learning strategy" that sounds great,
looks good on lesson plans, but rarely works in the long run.
It's been written up in lots of teaching guides, (esp. for whole language),
as a good way to get everyone involved in the learning.
Personally, I think it fragments more than it unites, especially in reading.

If we teach kids to construct essays by
1.  stating a hypothesis,
2. explaining the rationale,
3. exploring/expanding the details, and
4. constructing a conclusion *based on 1,2, & 3;
then how on earth do we expect kids to understand the whole picture if
each reads only 1, 2, 3, OR 4?
Kinda reminds me of the old story of a camel being a horse
designed by a committee.

Give the participants a text that ALL can read in an hour,
and then discuss together (gathering varying viewpoints and reactions)
before going on to the next step.

Added concern:  are we sending a message that if it takes longer than
"an hour" to read, it's too much to ask of anyone?

Alice H. Yucht
AliceInfo@aol.com