Good morning readers,
I hope you are well! Our cooperative teaching strategy this week is think-pair-share, one of the most well-known partner-based strategies to use in the classroom. Think-pair-share is a means of joining two students together, allowing them to share their ideas, and proceeding to bounce those ideas off of one another in order to create a meaningful response that can be posited to the class for whole group discussion.
Educator Cathy Simon (2016) states that the think-pair-share technique is "designed to differentiate instruction by providing students time and structure for thinking on a given topic, enabling them to formulate individual ideas and share these ideas with a peer." This technique does indeed serve as a great means for teachers to incorporate differentiation into their classroom. By carefully planning the students that are partnered together, the teacher has the opportunity to select which students might learn best from one another. For example, according to the Kagan model, a student at a medium-high level might work well with a student at a medium-low level. Dotson (2001) notes in a research study of a 6th grade Social Studies classroom that students who participated in this Kagan activity with heterogenous groups achieved higher academic success than the students which did not. This strategy also works wonders for English Language Learner (ELL) students with limited experience in English, as it gives them a chance to work with a peer to seek help when needed and formulate their own thinking and speech in a safe, small environment.
Another tremendous benefit of think-pair-share is its application to a variety of learning activities. Not only does the strategy encourage high levels of critical thinking among students, but it similarly promotes communication and collaborative learning (Dotson, 2001). When using this technique, consider ways in which you might ask high-level questions that reach the upper echelons of Bloom's Taxonomy. Some examples may include questions that preview an upcoming reading, prompts that cover key concepts from class, or serious problems that relate to local or global social issues (Simon, 2016). Having a specific learning target within the lesson is ideal; allow students to then make their own connections and draw their own conclusions together with their partners.
The research emphasizes that think-pair-share is simple to employ on a frequent basis and yields numerous learning benefits. Rather than the standard question and recitation technique, this strategy promotes conversation among all students and keeps each student engaged with a partner. Simon (2016) adds that the think-pair-share is commonly used as "an information assessment tool," enabling teachers to circulate around the class and listen to student dialogue, intervening when necessary, in order to gauge current understanding. A final understated but valuable element of the think-pair-share strategy is the "thinking" aspect. Students in this strategy have the opportunity to actually take a few moments to consider the question posed, summon their own knowledge, and prepare to organize and present it with a partner before sharing with the teacher or the class. Students are truly able through think-pair-share to develop their conceptual comprehension of an issue and reflect upon their peers' points of view before moving forward.
In my own personal experience, I try to use the think-pair-share technique frequently in the English and Debate classroom. I often have students practice this strategy with their face or shoulder partner in a Kagan learning group to switch it up and listen to new perspectives. It can prove especially helpful when introducing a challenging topic like figurative language and asking students to compose their own responses. Students might feel embarrassed or unable to develop their ideas or examples on the spot, but think-pair-share allows students to share their ideas with a partner and ask questions or seek support on a concept when needed. One modification I often try to employ is including two to three major questions. Each student is tasked with answering half of the questions (whether it be verbally as a whole class when we come together or via a written response) so that each student is engaged and responsible for the end product. It is always fun and rewarding to see students cultivate their own learning while working cooperatively in this way. I often find that at the end of the quarter, when it is time to change our groups, many students have grown so comfortable with their partners, that they are loath to switch seats!
So, teachers, if you do not use think-pair-share already, please do consider this great cooperative learning strategy. If you are a frequent employer of this technique, feel welcome to share your own experiences with it! Provided below are two helpful links that should offer some additional resources regarding how to implement the Think-Pair-Share strategy effectively.
www.teachervision.com/group-work/cooperative-learning/48547.html
www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/teaching-strategies/think-pair-share
I hope that you enjoyed this week's installment of our cooperative learning strategies! We will see you in two weeks to discuss our next strategy: Jigsaw!
Sincerely,
Ryan
References
Dotson, J. (2001). Cooperative learning strategies can increase student achievement. Kagan Online Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.kaganonline.com/free_articles/research_ and_rationale/increase_achievement.php
Simon, C.A. (2016). Strategy guide: Using the think-pair-share technique. Retrieved July 20, 2016, from http://www.readwritethink.org/professional-development/strategy-guides/using-think-pair-share-30626.html
I hope you are well! Our cooperative teaching strategy this week is think-pair-share, one of the most well-known partner-based strategies to use in the classroom. Think-pair-share is a means of joining two students together, allowing them to share their ideas, and proceeding to bounce those ideas off of one another in order to create a meaningful response that can be posited to the class for whole group discussion.
Educator Cathy Simon (2016) states that the think-pair-share technique is "designed to differentiate instruction by providing students time and structure for thinking on a given topic, enabling them to formulate individual ideas and share these ideas with a peer." This technique does indeed serve as a great means for teachers to incorporate differentiation into their classroom. By carefully planning the students that are partnered together, the teacher has the opportunity to select which students might learn best from one another. For example, according to the Kagan model, a student at a medium-high level might work well with a student at a medium-low level. Dotson (2001) notes in a research study of a 6th grade Social Studies classroom that students who participated in this Kagan activity with heterogenous groups achieved higher academic success than the students which did not. This strategy also works wonders for English Language Learner (ELL) students with limited experience in English, as it gives them a chance to work with a peer to seek help when needed and formulate their own thinking and speech in a safe, small environment.
Another tremendous benefit of think-pair-share is its application to a variety of learning activities. Not only does the strategy encourage high levels of critical thinking among students, but it similarly promotes communication and collaborative learning (Dotson, 2001). When using this technique, consider ways in which you might ask high-level questions that reach the upper echelons of Bloom's Taxonomy. Some examples may include questions that preview an upcoming reading, prompts that cover key concepts from class, or serious problems that relate to local or global social issues (Simon, 2016). Having a specific learning target within the lesson is ideal; allow students to then make their own connections and draw their own conclusions together with their partners.
The research emphasizes that think-pair-share is simple to employ on a frequent basis and yields numerous learning benefits. Rather than the standard question and recitation technique, this strategy promotes conversation among all students and keeps each student engaged with a partner. Simon (2016) adds that the think-pair-share is commonly used as "an information assessment tool," enabling teachers to circulate around the class and listen to student dialogue, intervening when necessary, in order to gauge current understanding. A final understated but valuable element of the think-pair-share strategy is the "thinking" aspect. Students in this strategy have the opportunity to actually take a few moments to consider the question posed, summon their own knowledge, and prepare to organize and present it with a partner before sharing with the teacher or the class. Students are truly able through think-pair-share to develop their conceptual comprehension of an issue and reflect upon their peers' points of view before moving forward.
In my own personal experience, I try to use the think-pair-share technique frequently in the English and Debate classroom. I often have students practice this strategy with their face or shoulder partner in a Kagan learning group to switch it up and listen to new perspectives. It can prove especially helpful when introducing a challenging topic like figurative language and asking students to compose their own responses. Students might feel embarrassed or unable to develop their ideas or examples on the spot, but think-pair-share allows students to share their ideas with a partner and ask questions or seek support on a concept when needed. One modification I often try to employ is including two to three major questions. Each student is tasked with answering half of the questions (whether it be verbally as a whole class when we come together or via a written response) so that each student is engaged and responsible for the end product. It is always fun and rewarding to see students cultivate their own learning while working cooperatively in this way. I often find that at the end of the quarter, when it is time to change our groups, many students have grown so comfortable with their partners, that they are loath to switch seats!
So, teachers, if you do not use think-pair-share already, please do consider this great cooperative learning strategy. If you are a frequent employer of this technique, feel welcome to share your own experiences with it! Provided below are two helpful links that should offer some additional resources regarding how to implement the Think-Pair-Share strategy effectively.
www.teachervision.com/group-work/cooperative-learning/48547.html
www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/teaching-strategies/think-pair-share
I hope that you enjoyed this week's installment of our cooperative learning strategies! We will see you in two weeks to discuss our next strategy: Jigsaw!
Sincerely,
Ryan
References
Dotson, J. (2001). Cooperative learning strategies can increase student achievement. Kagan Online Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.kaganonline.com/free_articles/research_ and_rationale/increase_achievement.php
Simon, C.A. (2016). Strategy guide: Using the think-pair-share technique. Retrieved July 20, 2016, from http://www.readwritethink.org/professional-development/strategy-guides/using-think-pair-share-30626.html