There are certain activities in the classroom I completely take for granted. Think Pair Share probably tops the list along with
K-W-Ls. Who knew the Think Pair Share strategy (although, some of the literature calls the trio a "routine") was developed by Frank Lyman in 1981 in Maryland.
Yep, proud to be a Marylander.
With that said, if you are just getting into teaching/education
or perhaps you came to Upcycled Education from another professional field, then the Think Pair Share strategy might be fresh and new to you. Thus, let's review....
Think: This first step in the trio encourages students to think independently about a question posed, a situation, an upcoming topic, etc. Generally this step is done individually and often times, students write down their ideas.
Pair: For this second step of the trio, students get together
in pairs with another classmate. Sometimes, I use
ranges instead of pairs like "Alright....please get together with 1-2 other people." That way no one feels left out or is scurrying for a partner.
By the way, if you check back this coming week, I promise to have nifty ideas how to pair up students.....
Share: In this final step of the trio, students share their thoughts with their partner(s). This is an important part of the trio as students have a chance to broaden their perspective and obtain feedback from their peers.
If you think your students need training with sharing ideas and partner work, consider this post on
SSLANT - a communication strategy - or
T-charts. I am an uber fan of both.
Now that I've blogged about Think Pair Share, I'm excited to use it again next week with my college students. It's our first week of spring semester!
Did I tell you I dislike the first week of school?
I'll blog about that another day.
Jen
