Using the jigsaw technique to teach patient safety

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Medical education is shifting towards active learning strategies for millennial learners.
• Traditional small group learning, while effective, often requires multiple facilitators.
• Jigsaw learning, a cooperative method, uses peer teaching and needs only one facilitator.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of the jigsaw learning method against traditional small group learning for teaching diagnostic reasoning principles.
• To evaluate resident satisfaction with both teaching modalities.

Main Methods:

• Residents were divided into two groups: one receiving traditional small group teaching, the other the jigsaw method.
• Pre-test, post-test, and one-year follow-up tests were administered to assess knowledge retention.
• Resident perceptions of the learning exercises were collected via post-surveys.

Main Results:

• The jigsaw method demonstrated statistically significant improvements in test scores from pre-test to post-test compared to the traditional method.
• Residents reported higher satisfaction with the jigsaw learning experience.
• The study confirmed the effectiveness of jigsaw learning in improving diagnostic reasoning skills.

Conclusions:

• The jigsaw cooperative learning approach is an effective strategy for enhancing collaborative learning and engagement in medical education.
• This method offers a viable alternative to traditional small group learning, particularly when facilitator resources are limited.