Think-Pair-Share Discussion Strategy: Explanation

Think-Pair-Share can stand alone, or it can be used within other types of discussion.

As a method, its purpose is to provide a safe, accessible way for learners to think and talk about a topic.

The three processes – think, pair, share – are like three little steps, each taking learners a bit further on. Each only accessible by climbing the one before.

The teacher asks the class a question or provides a statement to which learners need to respond.

They then ask learners to think silently about the question or statement for between thirty and sixty seconds, making some notes as they do.

Next, pupils team up with the person sat beside them to form a pair.

Pairs share their thoughts on the question or statement as well as any notes they have made.

Working together, they reach a conclusion about what they think the answer is or what they would be happy to share with the rest of the class.

The teacher draws the whole class back together and asks several different pairs to share their thoughts.

These are used as a starting point for a discussion about the original question or statement.

Everyone can take part because of the work they have already done during the ‘think’ and ‘pair’ stages.

Think-Pair-Share Discussion Strategy: Example

Topic: Impressionism in art

The teacher presents learners with a question:

• If an artist is painting in an impressionist style, what might they be trying to achieve?

Learners think about this individually.

Then they discuss it with a partner.

Then, the teacher asks a few pairs to share their thoughts with the class.

Finally, the teacher uses this to create a whole-class discussion around the question.

Simple!

Think-Pair-Share Discussion Strategy: Extensions and Developments

1. Extend the amount of time given for the thinking phase. Ask learners to write at length about the question or statement. This gives them a greater amount of material to discuss with a partner. It also becomes possible for partners to swap their work, read through what the other person has written, and then discuss their thoughts on this.
2. Insert a task between the ‘pair’ and ‘share’ phases. Using our example from above, this might involve asking pairs to come up with a short guide explaining the core tenets of impressionism. Such a development takes advantage of the rapport built up between partners. It also means pairs have a something concrete they can refer to during the ‘share’ phase.