Think Pair Share

Description:  The think-pair-share strategy is a discussion technique for partners that encourages active, guided thought about a topic and is applicable across all grade levels and class sizes. Students think and discuss answers to questions using three distinct steps:

1.  Think: Students think independently for a few moments about the question that has been posed, forming ideas of their own.

2.  Pair: Students discuss their thoughts with a partner. This step allows students to articulate their ideas and to consider those of others. It helps expand students thoughts about the topic while building oral communication skills.

3.  Share: Discussion pairs may record their ideas in some formalized way (chart paper, blog, etc.) or verbally share their ideas with a larger group, such as the whole class. This strategy can help students feel more comfortable presenting ideas to a group with the support of a partner, focus attention and engage students in comprehending the reading material. In addition, students' ideas become more refined through this three-step process.

When students learn new ideas and discuss them, they are forced to make sense of those new ideas in terms of their prior knowledge. Their misunderstandings about the topic are often revealed (and resolved) during this discussion stage. Research tells us that we need time to mentally "chew over" new ideas in order to store them in memory. If we give students time to "think-pair-share" throughout the lesson, more of the critical information is retained.

Targeted skills:  Reading comprehension, active listening, oral communication, cooperative learning

When to use the strategy:

• When questions are presented at the spur of the moment because providing "think time" increases quality of student responses.

• When you want students actively involved in thinking about the concepts presented in the lesson.

•  To retain information

•  To hear opposing views and/or ideas

•  To learn new ideas

•  To reveal misunderstandings and clarify new information.

• With two or more individuals.

Example: In an introductory lesson on the Revolutionary War for Social Studies, the teacher wishes to activate and assess students’ prior knowledge.  The teacher poses the question, "What do you already know about the Revolutionary War?"  Students take a few moments and think about what they already know about the subject, maybe jotting down their ideas.  The first student remembers it is a war between the Colonists and the British.  Then they pair up with their partner and discuss what they know about the war and then actively listen to what their partner knows or vice versa, maybe they jot down their partner’s ideas as well.  Their partner thinks that it is a war between England and France.  Students then share their knowledge based on their discussion to the class.  Teacher clarifies that it is indeed a war between the Colonists and the British and not necessarily the French.  However, the teacher clarifies the misunderstandings by explaining how the French were involved and aided the Colonists.

How can it be adapted or differentiated? This strategy can be adapted to increase accountability by having students jot down their ideas on paper before sharing.  Other ways to differentiate this strategy is to utilize Read/Pair/Share and/or Write/Pair/Share.

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