Think-Pair-Share
Overview
Students develop reading skills by listening to and speaking with others in informal ways. When learners think about a question then discuss their thoughts with a partner before sharing with the larger group, everyone participates and practices their skills. Pairing students after a writing prompt to share drafts and other writing resources can also help support Foundational Writing Skills.
Example: Use This Strategy in the Classroom
Watch this Reading Rockets video of a second grade teacher reviewing think-pair-share with her class and applying it to a read-aloud. By having individual think time, students are more equipped to process and answer questions meaningfully. They are also held accountable for maintaining their Attention with a peer, which contributes to a more fruitful discussion.
Design It into Your Product
Additional Resources
Additional examples, research, and professional development. These resources are possible representations of this strategy, not endorsements.
Factors Supported by this Strategy
More Cooperative Learning Strategies
When peers work cooperatively to practice writing letters, words, and eventually longer sentences, their Foundational Writing Skills, including spelling and writing quality, improve.
Flexible grouping is a classroom practice that temporarily places students together in given groups to work together, with the purpose of achieving a given learning goal or activity.
As students walk through stations working in small groups, the social and physical nature of the learning supports deeper understanding.
As students work with and process information by discussing, organizing, and sharing it together, they deepen their understanding.
To promote acceptance of learning diversity, students explore learning tools and strategies to see how they work and why they and others might use them.
When students explain to others, they deepen their understanding and gain confidence in their learning.
Respectful redirection, or error correction, outlines a clear and concise way that educators can provide feedback on behaviors that need immediate correction, in a positive manner.
