Teaching Portfolio, University of Kansas

Honored to present our project, “Reframing Classroom Discussion: Evaluating the Jigsaw Method’s Impact on Student Engagement & Participation,” at the 2025 KU Celebration of Teaching! Through the lens of responsive pedagogy, we explored how structured, intentionally composed Jigsaw groups can foster inclusion, engagement, and critical thinking in graduate-level multicultural courses in Speech-Language Pathology. Special thanks to my supervisor Tanya Myrick for the collaboration and support, and to the KU Center for Teaching Excellence for creating such a meaningful space to celebrate innovative teaching.

Reflection on the Survey Study

Facilitating Inclusive Learning Through the Jigsaw Method

During the Multicultural Considerations in Speech-Language-Hearing course, I helped implement and facilitate the Jigsaw Method across several class sessions. This cooperative learning strategy was a key component of our approach to building student understanding of complex social issues in clinical practice. Over the course of 6–7 bi-weekly sessions, we explored themes such as disability representation and advocacy, LGBTQIA+ healthcare disparities, culturally responsive practice, global and racial equity in service delivery, and the role of identity in clinical care.

In each session, students matched based on their cultural backgrounds and common interests were divided into home groups to explore a specific aspect of the larger topic. After initial preparation, they rejoined mixed groups to teach their peers what they had learned—creating a space of mutual learning and perspective-sharing. This format encouraged collaboration, accountability, and cultural humility, aligning well with the course’s goals of preparing future clinicians to engage with diverse populations respectfully and effectively.

Impact and Student Feedback

To better understand how students experienced this method, we gathered open-ended feedback and conducted a thematic analysis of their responses. Many students highlighted that the Jigsaw format increased their engagement, participation, and sense of responsibility in discussions. They appreciated learning from peers and hearing perspectives they might not have encountered otherwise. Many students shared that working in smaller groups helped ease their nerves and made it easier to have open, meaningful conversations—especially when the topics were personal or complex. However, their feedback also pointed to a few areas that needed improvement. Some mentioned that when groups were too large, it was harder to participate fully. Some students mentioned that having a set role within the group occasionally made the discussion feel less natural or too rigid. Others pointed out that the instructions could have been more straightforward—especially when it came to knowing how much material each group was expected to cover. Taking all of this into account, we planned to make several thoughtful adjustments to improve the flow and clarity of future sessions. The key changes will include breaking students into smaller groups, giving them more flexibility with roles, and taking extra time at the beginning to walk through the structure and expectations more clearly.

Pedagogical Takeaways

This experience deepened my appreciation for responsive pedagogy—the idea that instructional strategies must be continually adapted based on student input and classroom dynamics. The Jigsaw Method proved highly effective in supporting culturally responsive teaching, but also reminded me that active learning strategies require thoughtful scaffolding to be truly inclusive. Students benefit most when structure is balanced with flexibility, when expectations are clear, and when their voices are not only heard but used to shape the learning process.

Facilitating these sessions helped me grow as an educator who values dialogue over delivery, reflection over repetition, and shared responsibility over top-down instruction. I now carry forward these lessons into other teaching contexts, always looking for ways to create learning environments that center participation, equity, and connection.