The Expert Jigsaw and the Four Forces of Flight

School: Houghton Valley School

Year Level: 2

Teacher: Hayden Ray

Focus area:
Participating and Contributing.

Research Questions:

Question 1. Implementation:
How can students be supported to develop their cooperative skills through the use of the human jigsaw (and other cooperative activities)?

Question 2. Engagement:
What impact does using the human jigsaw (and other cooperative activities) have on student engagement?

Question 3. Knowledge:
What impact does using the human jigsaw (and other cooperative activities) have on student understanding of the principles of flight?

Success Criteria for Knowledge
Expert:
I can carry out a PMI on my flying object in relation to the 4 forces of flight. Also, I can use my PMI to improve my flying object.
Practitioner:
I can use my understanding of the 4 forces of flight to create a flying object.
Apprentice:
I can describe the 4 forces in my own words.
Novice:
I can identify the 4 forces that affect an aeroplane.

Question 4. Competency:
What impact does using the human jigsaw have on the student’s cooperative skills?

Success Criteria for Competency
Expert:
I can identify individual and group pros and cons (goods and bads) and describe what to do next.
Practitioner:
I can describe how to use a human jigsaw in another context.
Apprentice:
I can carry out the role and describe the whole process of a human jigsaw.
Novice:
I can carry out a human jigsaw.


Learning Story:

Learning Story - In a Nut-Shell
During the first half of Term 3, Kowhai began to look at the 4 main forces (thrust, drag, lift and weight) that affect the movement of an object through the air (e.g. a paper plane.) Kowhai learnt from a variety of teacher directed learning and cooperative activities, specifically the ‘expert jigsaws’.

During the second half of Term 3, Kowhai applied their understanding of the 4 main forces of flight to create and improve a paper plane and a rocket. They then fair tested their flying objects and made changes using their knowledge of flight (thrust, drag, lift and weight).

Assessment: At the beginning and the end of the term, children’s knowledge and understanding of the 4 forces was assessed. We assumed that all children were novices with regard to the expert jigsaw and therefore only assessed this at the end of the term.


Learning Story - In more detail
I used a picture disclosure activity to initially hook the children into our Term’s work on flight. I got a photo of the world record paper plane throw (27.6 seconds in the air) and covered up most of the image. The children had to guess what the picture was of and post their ideas into a ‘post box’.

Children then sat a written pre test to assess their knowledge of the forces that affect an aeroplane in flight. The test was very difficult, and only a few children showed a small amount of prior knowledge and understanding about the four forces (thrust, drag, lift and weight).

None of my children had ever used the Expert Jigsaw, so I assumed that all children were a Novice - Level 1, with regard to the Competency Poutama.

Finding out about the Four Forces of Flight

We began our study of flight by looking at the four basic forces of flight (thrust, drag, lift and weight.) At the beginning of our unit, children were involved primarily in teacher directed learning to demonstrate and explore each of the four forces.

We then began to create paper planes in small groups with:

• Lots of weight and not much weight.
• Lots of drag and not much drag.
• Lots of lift and not much lift.

Still in small groups, children then discussed and predicted which planes would fly further, focussing on ‘essential small group skills’, like: listening to each to other and taking turns. We tested them to see which would fly the furthest and wrote statements about the four forces, and how they affect an aeroplane in flight.

I then introduced the children to the Knowledge Poutama, emphasising the different levels of achievement and the things I would be looking for during the rest of the Unit.

To introduce the children to the expert jigsaw, I setup an expert jigsaw activity that recapped information about Pablo Picasso. I found that the activity stretched most of the children to their limits, with regard to their: ability to follow instructions, cooperative skills and to ability to locate information from a text.

We then used the expert jigsaw to find out about ‘a very short history of flight’. We kept the cooperative focus on, listening to each to other and taking turns throughout all of the expert jigsaws.

As the children found the expert jigsaw challenging, and also because Year 2 children find it difficult to locate and understand new information, I decided to use the expert jigsaw as a way to recap information, and not to introduce new information. I also used the rally chart (taking turns to write/draw information) to recap information about flight.

These two cooperative activities were an excellent way to deliver information to children several times in several different ways, maximising the possibility of the children understanding and retaining the knowledge.

After a series of expert jigsaws, I asked the children to write a list of steps that you need to follow to carry out an expert jigsaw successfully. I used this piece of writing to place each child on the competency poutama. From the writing I was able to assess each child’s ability to describe the process of the Expert Jigsaw. I then asked several of the children who achieved highly a few questions to gauge if they were practitioners or even experts according to my competency poutama.

Once the children had demonstrated a basic understanding of the four forces of flight, we all made a number of paper planes, attempting to construct a plane that would fly the furthest. We then discussed how we could find out which one would fly the furthest and how we could make the test fair.

Once we had listed all the things we had to do to make our paper dart throwing a fair test, we got in our cooperative groups or 3 to test how far our planes would fly. First, each group had to measure an ‘air strip’ to test our planes on. They had to measure out 20 m using a metre ruler and chalk, making a mark for every metre.

They then had to help each other (each having a role in the group) to test fly their darts 3 times each. We found that it wasn’t a fair test because of the wind, and decided to test fly our planes in the hall.

This led onto the children working cooperatively in our groups of 3 to design and construct an ‘aerodynamic rocket’ using only a paper roll, card and tape.

Rocket Design and Creation
During the last 3 weeks of the Unit, children had to design 2 or 3 different rockets using a plastic bottle as the body.

They then analysed their designs in their small groups, discussing what make their rocket aerodynamic and which their best design. They then labelled their design, identifying the different parts of their rocket and what they needed to build them.

To build their rocket, children buddied up and helped each other to stick on wings, nose cones etc… Children then painted their rockets ready for fair testing.

Rocket Testing

Earlier in the term, a very talented parent build me a rocket launcher out of a bike pump and a stell pole that fit inside a plastic bottle. During the last week of term, our class measured out a 50 metre air strip on the field and tested our rockets.

After each test we made one change to our rockets that we thought would make them go further. At the end of the week we analysed our results and made conclusions about what made our rockets fly further. The changes we made to our rockets after the very first test flight, resulted in them flying 50% further (averaging 30 metres).

The furthest a child’s rocket flew was 55m. Mine went 60m and a parent made one that flew over 100m. Naturally, it was all very exciting.

Testing our Knowledge about flight

At the end of the Unit, children sat the same written test they did at the beginning of the term. Having found it very difficult at the beginning of the term, it was wonderful to see how much knowledge the children had retained and how eager they were to give detailed answers.

Results:

Outcome 1. Engagement: (Teacher's opinion - not student self-assessment).

Mean level of engagement of students ...

Offered ideas - [3.4]
Asked questions - [2.8]
Listened to and thought about other's ideas and responded respectfully - [3.4]
Used positive body language related to task - [3.9]
Persevered in order to enact related task - [4.0]
Showed evidence of being active learners outside school time - [3.8]
Showed interest in directing their own learning - [3.4]
Had behavioural issues that impacted on their learning - [1.5]
Showed evidence of using what they have learnt - [3.6]

Overall mean level of engagement of students = 3.5

SCALE: 1 = never, 2 = not very often, 3 = about half the time, 4 = often, 5 = always


Outcome 2. Knowledge: (Four Forces of Flight - thrust, drag, lift and weight).

Number of students who were ...

8. Proficient experts - at start [0]; at end [0]
7. Beginning experts - at start [0]; at end [0]
6. Proficient practitioners - at start [0]; at end [2]
5. Beginning practitioners - at start [0]; at end [9]
4. Proficient apprentices - at start [0]; at end [7]
3. Beginning apprentices - at start [0]; at end [4]
2. Proficient novices - at start [2]; at end [1]
1. Beginning novices - at start [21]; at end [0]

The average knowledge for all students in the class at the beginning of the Unit was: 1.1
The average knowledge for all students in the class at the end of the Unit was: 4.3

Knowledge effect size = 1.61

These figures show that at the beginning of the Unit all students were at the Novice level, with only two students able to identify some of the forces that affect a flying object. Whereas, at the end of the Unit almost 50% of students were at the Apprentice Level, meaning they could describe the four forces and almost 50% of students were at the Practitioner Level, meaning they were able to they could describe the four forces and were beginning to be able to use their understanding to create a flying object.


Outcome 3. Competency: (The Expert Jigsaw)

Number of students who were ...
8. Proficient experts - at start [0]; at end [0]
7. Beginning experts - at start [0]; at end [0]
6. Proficient practitioners - at start [0]; at end [0]
5. Beginning practitioners - at start [0]; at end [5]
4. Proficient apprentices - at start [0]; at end [9]
3. Beginning apprentices - at start [0]; at end [4]
2. Proficient novices - at start [0]; at end [4]
1. Beginning novices - at start [23]; at end [1]

The average competency for all students in the class at the beginning of the Unit was: 1.0
The average competency for all students in the class at the end of the Unit was: 3.6

Competency effect size = 1.28

These figures show that at the beginning of the Unit all students were at the Novice level, meaning they could not carry out the role in an Expert Jigsaw. Whereas, at the end of the Unit most students were at the Apprentice Level, meaning they were able to carry out the role and describe the whole process of an Expert Jigsaw. In addition, over 20% of students achieved the Practitioner Level, meaning they were beginning to understand the process at a higher level.

Conclusions:
The Expert Jigsaw and the Four Forces of Flight:

• The Expert Jigsaw was a good way to focus on taking turns and listening to others in a small group.


• The Expert Jigsaw is a very effective way to recap and re-deliver information in a different way to Year 2 children.


• The Expert Jigsaw is not very suitable to introduce new information to children in Year 2.


• Many of the Year 2 children needed a lot of support and modelling to successfully share information in small groups.


• Several children thrived in the Expert Jigsaw activity, being able to lead/guide their group to success.


• Students were highly engaged during all Expert Jigsaw activities. Also, students who are usually less engaged, tended to be more involved due to the increased accountability.
  
• The 'real leanring context' of making paper planes and rockets obviously increased engagment of students.


• The Expert Jigsaw provided excellent opportunities for children to verbalise their understanding of flight forces in non-threatening small groups.


• The Expert Jigsaw was also an excellent way to deliver information about flight because it forced children to see and/or hear the information a few different times in a short time frame.