Think-Pair-Share

The teacher develops and poses a question, gives students a few minutes to think about a response, and then asks students to share their ideas with a partner. Teacher opens the floor and ask students to present their shared discussion with the whole class.

Think-Pair-Share is a strategy that encourages students to think about a question, issue, or prompt or reading, and then refine their understanding through discussion with a partner.

• Allows learners to learn from one another in a non-competitive environment.
• Increases learner’s self-esteem and participation especially for those who may be reluctant to speak up under normal conditions.
• Deepens understanding of concepts as learners think independently about the concepts they are learning and share their ideas in pairs and as a whole class. Their understanding is further broadened by the unique ideas of their peers.

1. Teacher poses a question/issue/prompt to the class (an open-ended question would generate more discussion and higher order thinking).
2. Teacher gives students a few minutes to think about the question and work out their individual responses.
3. Ask students to pair with another student nearby.
4. Ask Student A to share his or her responses with Student B, then Student B to share ideas with Student A.
   • Teacher may suggest that if the two students disagree, they clarify their positions so that they are ready to explain how and why they disagree.
   • If useful, request that pairs create a joint response by building on each other’s ideas.
5. The pairs will then present their thoughts to the class. The teacher may choose to use technology for this purpose.

• Padlet
• Lino