Jigsaw listening

Jigsaw listening
In ‘jigsaw listening’ activities, the teacher divides the class into groups. Each group listens to a different section of material
and later they have to explain their section to people in another group. Jigsaw listening activities can work with all kinds of
subjects. Many course books contain jigsaw listening materials but it is possible for teachers to create their own, although
they may need access to tape-to-tape recording equipment and more than one cassette player. Here’s an example:
• News room
The aim of this task is for students to create their own radio news bulletin based on an actual one. As with most activities it
requires a lot of preparation and planning by the teacher but it does lead to a complete and very productive lesson for the
students.
First the teacher records a news bulletin, then copies different stories from the bulletin to different tapes. The teacher
prepares a list of comprehension questions for each tape. In class the students are split into groups. Each group is given a
tape and a time limit. They have to listen to their tape and answer the questions. The questions are designed to help the
students understand the listening and give them a reason to listen.
After the time limit the students make new groups, joining up with students who have heard different stories. Together in
these new groups the students have to share information about the stories they heard to decide on the contents of their
own news bulletin. The students then use their own words and imaginations to recreate the news stories which can then
either be recorded or ‘performed’ for the class.
Throughout this activity the students are using English extensively. They get a lot of practice of different skills and it is
engaging and interesting for them.