Think, Pair, Share
Think Pair Share is something I use daily in my classroom. I commonly use it as a tool to break up lectures, summarize learning, or connect students learning to another topic or idea. The Think, Pair, Share works by first posing a question to the students. Students are to take some time to think about their answer and then write it down. I think writing it down is an important piece, because then in the next step it will help them communicate their thoughts. After students have had time to record, have them pair up with another student to both discuss and share their answers with each other. This can open up a nice discussion of differences that two may have seen, and exposes them to their partner's answers as well. Afterwards, I bring the whole class together to form a list of possible answers that the class came up with. Make sure to call on random students. One of the great things about a Think, Pair, Share is that all students have had time to form an answer, therefore you can call on more reluctant participants. The Think, Pair, Share strategy to be an effective tool for students because it focuses on reflection of prior knowledge or what they've just learned, then communicating those ideas to someone else (Saskatoon Public Schools, n.d.).
Benefits of the Think, Pair, Share (Think-Pair-Share, n.d.)
Think Pair Share in action
1. Decide on a question or set of questions that targets key concepts of the reading or lesson. For a lesson on Rome's Geography here are a set of questions:
2. Give students time to think about the question. Have them record their answer in their notes.
3. After students have had plenty of 'think time,' pair students up with a partner or small group to discuss their answers.
4. Use popsicle sticks to call on students to answer the questions and create a list of the answers.
Adaptation
This lesson can be adapted to multiple content areas. Several examples include having students predict the outcome in a Science experiment, solving word problems in Math, or analyzing diet problems in Health class (Saskatoon Public Schools, n.d.).
Think Pair Share in Writing
Like I said above, it is important for students to practice writing down their answer, for then they can better communicate those ideas, and also meeting the standard:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.10
Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Benefits of the Think, Pair, Share (Think-Pair-Share, n.d.)
- more time to think ensures higher quality of responses
- gets all students involved
- builds communication skills
- develops collaboration skills
- can be used in a spur of the movement
- can be used in classes big and small
- can allow students to organize and process information
- helps students comprehend learning material
Think Pair Share in action
1. Decide on a question or set of questions that targets key concepts of the reading or lesson. For a lesson on Rome's Geography here are a set of questions:
- What natural/geographic advantages did the city of Rome have?
- How was Rome’s geography different from that of Greece? How was it similar?
2. Give students time to think about the question. Have them record their answer in their notes.
3. After students have had plenty of 'think time,' pair students up with a partner or small group to discuss their answers.
4. Use popsicle sticks to call on students to answer the questions and create a list of the answers.
Adaptation
This lesson can be adapted to multiple content areas. Several examples include having students predict the outcome in a Science experiment, solving word problems in Math, or analyzing diet problems in Health class (Saskatoon Public Schools, n.d.).
Think Pair Share in Writing
Like I said above, it is important for students to practice writing down their answer, for then they can better communicate those ideas, and also meeting the standard:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.8.10
Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
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Caring School Community - Increasing Student Talk: Think Pair Share |
Think-Pair-Share at Roosevelt Elementary, Willmar, MN. |
In this video, students are presented with a question about how they feel about teasing. The teacher repeats the question for the students, and has designated partners for when it is their turn to discuss. Students take turns conversing with each other. Students are also seated in a circle to enable good class discussion for the share portion of the activity.
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While using the Think, Pair, Share method, she shows that it is important for students to know what the question is they are thinking about. It is also important to have ample thinking time. Students pair up and discuss with their partner, then using all of that knowledge, they are better able to contribute to the group discussion at the end.
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References
Johns, M. (2013, October 16). Think-Pair-Share at Roosevelt Elementary, Willmar, MN..YouTube. Retrieved July 22, 2014, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDJawIvBJwQ
Saskatoon Public Schools. (n.d.). Instructional Strategies Online - Think, Pair, Share. Instructional Strategies Online - Think, Pair, Share. Retrieved July 22, 2014, from http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/De/PD/instr/strats/think/
TheDSCWay . (2012, August 20). Caring School Community - Increasing Student Talk: Think Pair Share. YouTube. Retrieved July 22, 2014, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZY-ZsrcQsI
Think-Pair-Share. (n.d.). Reading Rockets. Retrieved July 22, 2014, from http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/think-pair-share
Johns, M. (2013, October 16). Think-Pair-Share at Roosevelt Elementary, Willmar, MN..YouTube. Retrieved July 22, 2014, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDJawIvBJwQ
Saskatoon Public Schools. (n.d.). Instructional Strategies Online - Think, Pair, Share. Instructional Strategies Online - Think, Pair, Share. Retrieved July 22, 2014, from http://olc.spsd.sk.ca/De/PD/instr/strats/think/
TheDSCWay . (2012, August 20). Caring School Community - Increasing Student Talk: Think Pair Share. YouTube. Retrieved July 22, 2014, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZY-ZsrcQsI
Think-Pair-Share. (n.d.). Reading Rockets. Retrieved July 22, 2014, from http://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/think-pair-share