Think Pair Share

Purpose:  To engage students in about their prior knowledge of a topic. Description: During this activity, students will have individual time to think about a question related to the topic of study.  They will then pair up with a partner to share their thoughts.  Finally, the pairs will select one major idea to share with the entire class.

Procedure:

1.     Generate a higher-level question related to the topic you are about to study.

2.     Group students into pairs.

3.     Pass out a Think-Pair-Share worksheet to each student.

4.     Give students 5 minutes to write down their individual thoughts in the "Think" section of the worksheet.

5.     Then, in pairs, have groups share their individual thoughts.  Pairs should summarize their common thoughts in the "Pair" section of their worksheet.

6.     Finally, pairs choose one major idea to share with the entire class.  This should be written in the "Share" section of their worksheet.

Sample Think-Pair-Share Questions:

What are the important elements of a multimedia slideshow presentation?

How would you evaluate the quality of a webpage?

What jobs might require the use of a spreadsheet?

What are some of the things you need to think about before building a database?

What are the advantages and disadvantages of using the internet for research?

Should everyone have access to the Internet?




Kagan, S. (1994).  Cooperative learning.  San Juan Capistrano, CA:  Kagan Cooperative Learning.

Sample Think-Pair-Share Activities