Think Pair Share

I know this is an oldie-but-a-goodie. Think Pair Share, also popularly known as Turn & Talk. But, do you ever find, like me, that, though this is a "tried and true" task, it works better in some classes than others? Here's why (at least according to me!):

There are some students who don't need a lot of structure to Turn & Talk. We ask them to do it, and they just swivel right around and start sharing ideas with a partner, while also listening to and remembering their partner's ideas. But there are other students who don't share much of anything with their partner, and tune out while their partner shares with them. We ask these students later to share with the class, and are met with blank stares. Have a class with a lot of students who fall under the latter category, and Turn & Talk is suddenly not so "tried and true" anymore. Want a solution?

Don't hate me for this, but consider ceasing with the Turn & Talk lingo. This implies that students can just immediately jump into a conversation about a topic or a question. Rather, I'd go with Think Pair Share. This task requires students to do some independent thinking before sharing with a partner and later with the whole class. Let's go one step further . . . I hate to add more photocopying and prep to your lives, but I really think students who struggle with Turn & Talk (or who simply do not participate in it) could benefit from having a template that scaffolds their work on this kind of task.

Below, I've included a template I have used in the past -- it's yielded great results from students who are reluctant or non-participatory with Turn & Talk. They are first required to independently jot down three ideas in response to a question or prompt of some sort you pose. Only then do they share with a partner. Then, they are asked to note which ideas of theirs were the same or similar to ideas shared by their partner AND they are also asked to jot down ideas their partner shared that were different than their own. This really scaffolds the partner work for students who may otherwise zone out during this task. Finally, students are asked to jot down some ideas from other classmates during the whole class share. This kind of structure provides students with some very clear expectations for what turning and talking should entail. Perhaps eventually this scaffold could even be removed once students have mastered it and are ready to participate without it.

If you'd like a copy of this template, just let me know -- I'm happy to share! (After I've thought and paired, naturally.  Sorry -- couldn't resist!)



[I should mention this particular template comes from Thinkquiry Toolkit I: Strategies to Improve Reading Comprehension and Vocabulary Development Across the Content Areas (2011), edited by Julie Meltzer and Dennis Jackson and published by Public Consulting Group. There are others like it out there, but this one has worked well for me!]