What is

Think-Pair-Share

Think-pair-share is a collaborative teaching strategy that can be used to aid students in forming original ideas by having those ideas discussed and analyzed in a group setting. The strategy can be used before reading or learning a specific concept and generally works better with smaller groups. The educator acts as a facilitator and poses a question or a problem to the students. The students are given a certain time period to think about the solution, after which the educator asks them to pair themselves and share their thoughts with each other. If time permits the paired students can share their thoughts with other pairs of learners and share their ideas with the whole group.

Think-pair-share refers to a learning strategy that maximizes participation, focuses attention and engages students in comprehending the reading material. As a relatively simple structure that can be quickly implemented, think-pair-share can be incorporated into all forms of educational instruction. It is especially useful for actively involving all students during lectures or larger class structures.