From New Teacher Handbook

Think-Pair-Share is a class discussion activity that was developed by Frank Lyman (1981) at the University of Maryland and adopted by many educators as a cooperative learning tool.

Think

The teacher challenges the students with an open-ended question or observation to incite critical thinking. The students are given a short period of silent reflection to think about the question.

Pair

Students pair up with a Learning buddy, neighbor, or desk cohort to talk about the answer that each came up with during silent reflection. They compare notes and come up with the most substantial answer.

Share

After there is a short discussion period, each pair is called upon to share their thinking with the rest of the class.

Benefits

1. Students are given the opportunity to learn from each other.
2. The activity awards each student with equal participation.
3. Students are accountable to each other for their ideas.
4. The activity is student-centered.
5. Teachers have an opportunity for assessment.
6. The activity allows time for the teacher to intervene with small groups of students.

See also: Active Learning Strategies