QC Toolbox Strategy #3 - Think-Pair-Share

This is also one of Mrs. Townsend's ARI strategies, yet it is worth blogging about because of the way it gets students thinking, speaking, listening, and writing.

"Think-pair-share (Lyman, 1981) fosters collaboration by giving students time to develop their ideas during class discussion. There are three steps to a think-pair-share:

1. Students independently contemplate a response to a question or prompt.
2. Students pair up to discuss and refine their ideas.
3. Student pairs share their discussions with the entire class.

The think-pair-share strategy is useful because it relieves individual students of the pressure of sharing ideas on the spot. Because they are sharing and exploring multiple perspectives on a common problem or issue, the collaborative discourse initiated by think-pair-share engages students in inquiry that extends their thinking and understanding. It is just this sort of collaborative discourse that research (Sawyer, 2004) shows is particularly conducive to learning."

In addition to what is stated above, I like it because every student shares, not just the ones who volunteer to speak during class discussion. It's also quick and easy; I usually pair students with someone nearby so I don't lose time in transition. I also add a writing component. Students respond to the question or prompt in writing, and they read what they have written to their partner. Students can make adjustments to their own writing before sharing with the rest of the class.

I really like this one. I hope you find it useful!