Benefits

A benefit of the think-pair-share is that the teacher has an opportunity to hear from many students —
including the "quiet" ones. I have seen some of my shyest students offer wonderful answers after they
had an opportunity to do a think-pair-share. It also gives the teacher the opportunity to observe all the
students as they interact in pairs and get an idea of whether all students understand the content or if
there are areas that need to be reviewed. (Robertson, n.d.)
http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/increase-student-interaction-think-pair-shares-and-circle-chats

Theoretical Background

Think-pair-share is a cooperative learning technique that was first proposed by Lyman (1981) . In fact, it
is a three-step technique where students think about a given question or problem, given a limited time
to think, organize their thoughts and formulate their ideas and answers to the given questions. Then,
they move to the next step where they work in pairs and discuss their answers. This step according to
Pressley 1992 gives students opportunity to think and provides them with a good chance to find out
what they know and what they need to know. In the last step according toMillis, 2012 , students share
their ideas with the whole group. Of course, it differs from the traditional strategies such as lecturing
because it allows a great deal of interaction where students can reflect on their own ideas in a very
active manner.

Think-pair-strategy reinforces students’ communication skills. Each student takes his chance to speak,
discuss and participate which has many positive effects on the whole group where students feel more
self-confident and more active in the class. Moreover, they learn to listen to each other point of view
and to respect each other ideas and thoughts. Working in pairs also reduces stress and embarrassment.
If they give a wrong answer, for example, they won’t feel shy because the embarrassment is shared.
According to Andrews and Hull, learning is more effective when it takes place in social environments
that provide authentic social cues about how knowledge is to be applied. In this regard, they
demonstrated that stories provide a tool to transfer knowledge in a social context.

One of the positive aspects of TPS is that it gives students time to think about the question or the
problem which is important and of a great effect. Students feel more comfortable if they are given
enough time to think and organize their thoughts before they start expressing themselves. It is better
than responding directly. The more time they think about it, the fewer mistakes they make. In addition
to that, it also gives the teacher the opportunity to check students’ understanding and comprehension.

Creative Education

Vol.08 No.01(2017), Article ID:73454,12 pages

10.4236/ce.2017.81002

http://file.scirp.org/Html/2-6303354_73454.htm

(Raba, A. (2017). The Influence of Think-Pair-Share (TPS) on Improving Students’ Oral Communication
Skills in EFL Classrooms. Retrieved from http://file.scirp.org/Html/2-6303354_73454.htm

Think-Pair-Share (Lyman, 1981): An Equity Pedagogical Best Practice to Increase and Vary Student
Participation in the Classroom
  Posted by Richard D. Solomon, Ph.D. on August 5, 2009 at 5:00am

 View Blog

Think-Pair-Share (Lyman, 1981): An Equity Pedagogical Best Practice to Increase and Vary Student
Participation in the Classroom

This is a three-step paired cooperative procedure created by *Dr. Frank Lyman in 1981. During step one,
each member individually and silently thinks about a question posed by the teacher. During the second
step, two members are paired to exchange and discuss their responses. During step three, each member
may share his response, his partner's response, a synthesis or something new with the quad (a
cooperative team of four), another quad, or the entire class. Participants always retain the right to pass
or not share information. There are many variations including: Think-Write-Pair and Share and Think-
Web, Pair-Web and Share. Sample Application: Instead of posing a question to the class, the teacher
uses Think-Pair-Share. Example: Think of your favorite Jewish holiday; Pair (discuss) with your partner;
Share your answer with the class.

Think-Pair-Share is an equity pedagogical best practice because it provides students with (a) ‘think
time”, a period to reflect and compose their answer, (b) ‘behavioral rehearsal time', a period to practice
stating their thoughts with a classmate, and (c) five safe options including sharing the thoughts of a
learning partner. The research on Think-Pair-Share is compelling in that it encourages increased student
participation, and higher levels of student thinking and questioning.

* Lyman, F. (1981). The Responsive Classroom Discussion: The Inclusion of All Students.Mainstreaming
Digest. University of Maryland, College Park, MD.

Think, Pair, Share Cooperative Learning Strategy

The think, pair, share strategy is a cooperative learning technique in which students think through
questions using three distinct steps, encouraging individual participation. This is an excellent method for
promoting critical thinking and articulate communication in the classroom.

What Is It?

The think, pair, share strategy is a cooperative learning technique that encourages individual
participation and is applicable across all grade levels and class sizes. Students think through questions
using three distinct steps:

1. Think: Students think independently about the question that has been posed, forming ideas of
their own.

2. Pair: Students are grouped in pairs to discuss their thoughts. This step allows students to
articulate their ideas and to consider those of others.
 3. Share: Student pairs share their ideas with a larger group, such as the whole class. Often,
students are more comfortable presenting ideas to a group with the support of a partner. In
addition, students' ideas have become more refined through this three-step process.

Why Is It Important?

Students need many opportunities to talk in a linguistically rich environment. Researchers have found
that students' learning is enhanced when they have many opportunities to elaborate on ideas through
talk (Pressley 1992).

The think, pair, share strategy increases the kinds of personal communications that are necessary for
students to internally process, organize, and retain ideas (Pimm 1987).

In sharing their ideas, students take ownership of their learning and negotiate meanings rather than rely
solely on the teacher's authority (Cobb et al. 1991).

Additional benefits of using the think, pair, share strategy include the positive changes in students' self-
esteemthat occur when they listen to one another and respect others' ideas. Students have the
opportunity to learn higher-level thinking skills from their peers, gain the extra time or prompting they
may need, and gain confidence when reporting ideas to the whole class. In addition, the "pair" step of
the strategy ensures that no student is left out of the discussion. Even a student who is uncomfortable
discussing his or her ideas with the whole class still has an audience in this step. Finally, while the
strategy may appear to be time-consuming, it makes classroom discussions more productive, as
students have already had an opportunity to think about their ideas before plunging into whole-class
conversations.

How Can You Make It Happen?

The think, pair, share strategy is ideal for teachers and students who are new to collaborative learning.
It can be used in a variety of contexts. However, to be effective, students must consider a question or
issue. It could be a complex question, such as, "What do you think were the key issues that led to World
War I?" It could be a more straightforward request, such as, "Create a pattern that could be described as
'a, b, a, b.'"

As students consider the question or issue, they should derive some benefit from thinking about it
further with partners, such as when there are multiple correct answers to a question. For instance, in
the previous example, students could provide many examples of "a, b, a, b" patterns and seeing multiple
answers will reinforce this concept. On the other hand, providing students with questions that have only
one correct response, such as, "What is 5 + 2?" soon becomes tedious to students, as there is not much
to share with partners or the whole class.

The "think" step may require students merely to be quiet for a few moments and ponder their thoughts
about the question. They may write some thoughts in response to the question.

Some teachers find it helpful to set a time limit for the "think" and "pair" steps of the strategy. If you
choose to do this, be sure to give students an idea of how much time they will have. Remember to allow
sufficient time during the "pair" step to allow both students to talk about their thoughts.
In the "share" step of the strategy, students can share their ideas in several ways. One way is to have all
students stand, and after each student responds, he or she sits down, as does any student with a similar
response. This continues until everyone is seated. Another way is to move quickly through the class,
having students respond quickly, one after the other, or to have a class vote. Responses can be recorded
on an overhead projector or on a graphic organizer for future discussions. Another variation is to stop
after the "pair" step, and have students write their ideas. Collect students' responses and assess any
problems in understanding.

How Can You Stretch Students' Thinking?

This strategy often stretches students' thinking merely by its implementation. Some students consider it
a challenge to articulate their thoughts to another person. However, once students become comfortable
with this aspect, there are ways to expand the strategy's reach.

One way to is to be sure that students have opportunities to pair with a variety of partners. Pairing
students who sit closest to each other is convenient but doesn't provide the same intellectual or social
challenge as accommodating the learning and discussion styles of a variety of classmates.

Another method for varying the strategy is to allow two "pair" steps before proceeding to "share."
Students can either participate in two consecutive pairings or can pair with one student and then the
first pair can be grouped with another pair to discuss their thoughts before joining a whole-class
discussion. This double-pair method is particularly helpful if you have a very large class or are dealing
with an especially complex question.

When Can You Use It?

Reading/English

The think, pair, share strategy can be used to enhance discussions about specific characters in books.
For instance, a group that is reading The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson might be asked to
think, pair, share in response to the questions, "Would you be able to be friends with Gilly? Why or why
not?"

Writing

The think, pair, share strategy can help students learn about the writing process. Students who are
asked to choose a topic of their own to write about often become stuck. Teachers can make this process
easier by asking early in the year, "Where do story ideas come from?" As students think about the
question and discuss their ideas with a partner and then as a class, they usually come up with a long and
valuable list of ideas that can take them through an entire year's worth of writing.

Math

The think, pair, share strategy works well when there are multiple correct answers to a given problem.
This makes the strategy perfect for questions that involve estimation, patterns, logic, and so on. This
strategy can also be used when students are deciding how to approach a problem rather than when
they are settling on a specific answer to one.

Social Studies
Social studies content provides many opportunities to implement this strategy, especially when
introducing new topics. Use the think, pair, share strategy by asking a question such as, "What do you
already know about the Revolutionary War?" As students grapple with ethical topics, you might ask
questions such as, "Would you have agreed to be a 'stop' on the Underground Railroad? Why or why
not?"

Science

As students are conducting experiments, the think, pair, share strategy can be a way for them to form
hypotheses or to discuss their interpretations of a given experiment. For instance, before an experiment
on density, students might be asked to use the think, pair, share strategy when deciding which of a given
set of items will float when placed in a tub of water.

Lesson Plans

Spelling Using Think, Pair, Share

This lesson asks students in primary grades to create a list of "short a" words for spelling using the think,
pair, share strategy.

https://www.teachervision.com/group-work/think-pair-share-cooperative-learning-strategy

Think-Pair-Share

Background

Think-Pair-Share (TPS) is a collaborative learning strategy in which students work together to solve a
problem or answer a question about an assigned reading. This technique requires students to (1) think
individually about a topic or answer to a question; and (2) share ideas with classmates. Discussing an
answer with a partner serves to maximize participation, focus attention and engage students in
comprehending the reading material.

Benefits

The Think-Pair-Share strategy is a versatile and simple technique for improving students' reading
comprehension. It gives students time to think about an answer and activates prior knowledge. TPS
enhances students' oral communication skills as they discuss their ideas with one another. This strategy
helps students become active participants in learning and can include writing as a way of organizing
thoughts generated from discussions.

Create and use the strategy

The teacher decides upon the text to be read and develops the set of questions or prompts that target
key content concepts. The teacher then describes the purpose of the strategy and provides guidelines
for discussions. As with all strategy instruction, teachers should model the procedure to ensure that
students understand how to use the strategy. Teachers should monitor and support students as they
work.
 1. T : (Think) Teachers begin by asking a specific question about the text. Students "think" about
what they know or have learned about the topic.

2. P : (Pair) Each student should be paired with another student or a small group.

3. S : (Share) Students share their thinking with their partner. Teachers expand the "share" into a
whole-class discussion.

Variation:

Teachers can modify this strategy and include various writing components within the Think-Pair-Share
strategy. This provides teachers with the opportunity to see whether there are problems in
comprehension. Teachers can create a Read-Write-Pair-Share strategy in which students:

1. R: Read the assigned material;

2. W: Write down their thoughts about the topic prior to the discussions;

3. P: Pair up with a partner

4. S: Share their ideas with a partner and/or the whole class.

http://www.adlit.org/strategies/23277/

How It Works

The teacher asks an open-ended question and students think quietly about it for a minute or two. Then
every student pairs up with a partner and they discuss the question for two to five minutes. Finally, the
whole class engages in a discussion where students raise their hands and share all the thoughts and
ideas they've gathered.

With young children, it's best if the teacher models the technique with a volunteer so the class knows
what to do. Just make sure to emphasize the rules of this exercise with your students. They must use
their inside voices, take turns, and avoid interrupting their partner. Some teachers even pass out work
sheetsso students can write down the questions and their thoughts.

https://www.wgu.edu/heyteach/article/how-think-pair-share-activity-can-improve-your-classroom-
discussions1704.html

Process

In think-pair-share strategy the teacher acts as a facilitator, and poses a question or a problem to the
students. The students are given sufficient time to think and gather their thoughts, after which the
teacher asks them to pair themselves and share their thoughts with each other.

As the students begin to share their thoughts and views, each learns to see the different perspective of
thinking among their peers. By doing so the students learning is enhanced by the formation and
articulation of an idea. This also enables the students to have clarity of thought and have the ability to
communicate their thoughts and ideas to another student.

If time permits the paired students can share their thought with other paired students, and teachers can
ask one or two pairs to share their ideas with the entire class.
Think-pair-share is designed to help the student to understand the concept of the given topic, develop
ability to filter the information and formulate an idea or thought, and draw conclusions. The most
important aspect of the think-pair-share is that students will develop the ability to consider and
appreciate the different viewpoints of their peers.

The most important aspect of the think-pair-share is that students will develop the ability to consider
and appreciate the different viewpoints of their peers

Think-Pair-Share is a short activity designed to engage students in thoughtful consideration of a topic,

and may serve effectively as a warm-up to instruction and class discussion on new course material.

First, students individually think for a few minutes about a question posed by the instructor, then get
together for a short period in groups of two (pair) to four students to discuss their thoughts, and one or
more groups share the results of their discussion with the class. In addition to engaging with course
content, students can reflect before speaking, and share their ideas in a low-risk situation before
participating in full class discussion. Thus, both the quality of class discussion and students’ comfort in
contributing to class discussion may improve.

Think-Pair-Share also allows instructors to assess students’ initial knowledge and to modify instruction
to bolster understanding and clear up misconceptions. Developed for use in class, this technique is just
beginning to be adapted and experimented with in the online environment.

https://teachingcommons.stanford.edu/resources/learning/learning-activities/think-pair-share

Barkley, E.F., Cross, K.P., & Major, C.H. (2005). Collaborative learning techniques. A handbook for college
faculty. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Wiley. Kindle Edition.

--

Think-pair-share is a cooperative learning strategy used to easily monitor student understanding of

content or language objectives (Echevarria, Vogt, Short, 2014). It gives all students a chance to think and
discuss.

Steps in implementing think-pair-share:

1. Teacher asks a question to the whole class.
2. Think: Students think independently about the question and form own ideas.
3. Pair: Students are grouped in pairs (elbow partners) to discuss thoughts and ideas.
4. Share: Students share ideas with a larger group or whole class.

Think, Pair, Share

Rationale

In an activity based on the Think, Pair, Share strategy, students write and discuss their ideas with a
partner before sharing them with the larger group. This format gives students the opportunity to
thoughtfully respond to questions in written form and to engage in meaningful dialogue with other
students about these issues. It is a helpful way to give students time to compose their ideas before
sharing with them with the class. The Think, Pair, Share strategy helps students build confidence,
encourages greater participation, and often results in more thoughtful discussions.
Procedure

1. Think
Have students reflect on a given question or write a response in their journals.

2. Pair
Have students pair up and share their responses.

3. Share
When the larger group reconvenes, ask pairs to report back on their conversations.
Alternatively, you could ask students to share what their partner said. In this way, the strategy
focuses on students’ skills as careful listeners.

https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/teaching-strategies/think-pair-share

Think-pair-share (TPS) is a teaching strategy that starts with individual reflection and moves through
partner sharing to whole group discussion.

https://study.com/academy/lesson/think-pair-share-teaching-strategy-definition-examples.html

only use Think-Pair-Share for open-ended questions or problems that are conducive to meaningful
discussion. It would be better, for example, to ask "Why do you think the author chose this setting?"
than "What is the setting?"

--

Steps of a Think-Pair-Share

This kind of situation, where both the student and teacher are hesitating to increase interaction, is the
reason why think-pair-share is so effective!

In a think-pair-share, students are given think time to reflect on a question silently, so that they have
more time to process the question, the language, or think of the language needed to convey the answer.
By then discussing their answer with a partner and the class, students have the opportunity for
increased interaction, and teachers can monitor comprehension. In order to use this activity, follow
these steps:

1. Ask a thought-provoking question of your class.

2. Give students some time to think about the question on their own, as well as the language they
will need to respond.

3. Have students share their thoughts with a partner; this gives the students the opportunity to
'check out' their answer with another student or hear another possible answer. If confused, the
students can ask their peers for help.
 4. Finally, ask students to share thoughts with the whole group, which serves as a form of
accountability for the students. In this discussion/explanation, the teacher gets feedback on
what the students do or don't know though informal assessment.

Robertson, K. (2014). Increase Student Interaction with "Think-Pair-Shares" and "Circle Chats". Retrieved
from http://www.colorincolorado.org/article/increase-student-interaction-think-pair-shares-and-circle-
chats

Think-Pair-Share (Lyman, 1981): An Equity Pedagogical Best Practice to Increase and Vary Student
Participation in the Classroom

This is a three-step paired cooperative procedure created by *Dr. Frank Lyman in 1981. During step one,
each member individually and silently thinks about a question posed by the teacher. During the second
step, two members are paired to exchange and discuss their responses. During step three, each member
may share his response, his partner's response, a synthesis or something new with the quad (a
cooperative team of four), another quad, or the entire class. Participants always retain the right to pass
or not share information. There are many variations including: Think-Write-Pair and Share and Think-
Web, Pair-Web and Share. Sample Application: Instead of posing a question to the class, the teacher
uses Think-Pair-Share. Example: Think of your favorite Jewish holiday; Pair (discuss) with your partner;
Share your answer with the class.

Think-Pair-Share is an equity pedagogical best practice because it provides students with (a) ‘think
time”, a period to reflect and compose their answer, (b) ‘behavioral rehearsal time', a period to practice
stating their thoughts with a classmate, and (c) five safe options including sharing the thoughts of a
learning partner. The research on Think-Pair-Share is compelling in that it encourages increased student
participation, and higher levels of student thinking and questioning.

* Lyman, F. (1981). The Responsive Classroom Discussion: The Inclusion of All Students.Mainstreaming
Digest. University of Maryland, College Park, MD.

---Solomon, R. (2009). Think-Pair-Share (Lyman, 1981): An Equity Pedagogical Best Practice to Increase
and Vary Student Participation in the Classroom. Retrieved from
https://www.classroom20.com/profiles/blogs/thinkpairshare-lyman-1981-an