Split information: Primary maths

Split information activities are also called barrier or jigsaw activities. The important feature of these activities is that each student has only part of the information they need to complete their learning task. Because of this, they must cooperate and share their information by speaking or writing to each other. Each student is required to participate, and it isn’t possible for one student to take over the task from others.

Gala

This activity is based on Figure it Out – Gala: Mathematics Curriculum Support Levels 2–3. Most of the material in this book and in the rest of the Figure it Out series can be split to create a context in which each student is required to speak about the curriculum material, and is supported to do so.

In the two examples below, sharing the information is only the beginning. Students then have further tasks to do. For example:

• they discuss and rank options
• they give reasons for their rankings
• they interpret and expand on graphed data.

Classroom organisation

• Model the activity in front of the students when you first introduce it, so that they understand how to share their information, evaluate it, and discuss it.
• Make sure all the students understand that talking through possibilities and giving reasons are essential parts of the activities.
• Try to cultivate an open and interested classroom climate in which people are interested in exploring ideas, rather than being focused on giving and receiving the correct answers without reasons.
• Have the students face each other so they cannot see the material their partner/s have.
• Design the activities so that the students don’t write on them and they can be reused.

Example 1: Date dilemma, page 1

The students have to decide which is the best weekend in November for a school gala. They have to give their reasons. They have a calendar for November showing the days of the week and they have seven statements, such as:

• Three teachers are going to a wedding on the second Saturday.
• Rooms 6 and 7 are on camp from 14 to 18 November.

Splitting the information

To make the split information activity, divide the material for two, three, or four students. Let all of them see the calendar, but ensure that each person has only some of the statements of information. The students then:

1. record their information next to the relevant weekends
2. discuss and rank the possible weekends for the gala
3. provide reasons for their choices
4. explain their choices and reasons to you or to another group.

Example 2: Gala graphs, page 24

The two graphs show how many people were at the food stall at each half-hour during the day, and how much money was taken. There are questions and activities based on the graphs.

Splitting the information

1. Have the students work in groups of three.
2. Give the students the graphs to share – but without any data recorded on them.
3. Ask one student to record the figures on the graph as the other two tell her what they are. One student has the figures recorded in the morning, and the other has the afternoon’s figures.
4. Each student has one of the discussion questions. When they have completed the graphs, they discuss the questions together.

Return to top