“Think-Pair-Share”- Yes Please!!!

Keagan strategies are a great way to implement cooperation into the classroom. I learned some of these strategies in my undergraduate coursework, but I was not always the best at implementing them. Now that I am an itinerant teacher, I see teachers in all of my schools successfully implement various strategies as they teach. One that I hear of often is “Think-Pair-Share”. I have always had an idea of what “Think-Pair- Share” was, but I really enjoy seeing it being implemented daily. This leads me to want to incorporate it more in my own teaching. After reading through Zadina’s workbook for chapter three, I think “Think-Pair-Share” is a great way to make students responsible for their own learning while doing group work. This type of activity opens up the line of communication among peers and allows them to discuss their educational discoveries in a positive atmosphere. By using the “Think-Pair-Share” format listed by Zadina, I would present the students with a question or problem. The students would then have to write their thoughts. Once each student has written their own thoughts, they would discuss their thoughts with their partners. Each student would then record their partner’s responses. Then comes the best part of this assignment. The partners would have to work together to decide what to share with the rest of the class. I love this because the students bounce ideas off of each other and come to a compromise as to what they would like to share with the class. Another great aspect of using this technique in my classroom is that it could be integrated into any subject. I plan on using it for lesson introductions, closings, and alternative assessments. An example of this would be using it when discussing character traits for a character in a story. After reading a passage or story, I would have my students partner up and complete the “Think-Pair-Share” form. This would also allow for possible mini-lessons, such as that of perspective. This type of activity not only allows for students to learn responsibility and tolerance of other ideas; but it also allows an opportunity for students to build up their social skills. If done enough, the students would become comfortable speaking with their peers about any area of content within the classroom.

Question or Problem:

What I Thought:                    What my partner thought:                   What we decided to share: