The Think-Pair-Share (or 'TPS') teaching strategy is an way to differentiate instruction by providing students time to think about a given topic, formulate ideas, and share them with a peer. In practice, the teacher would pose a question or problem to the whole class. Students would be given time to think about it individually, and then work in pairs to answer the question or solve the problem, and finally share their idea with the whole class.
One of the great things about this strategy is its flexibility - you could use it as a strategy for 5 minutes or 20 minutes depending on the nature of the question posed. Additionally, it can help increase participation; after sharing with a peer, students tend to feel more confident sharing their responses with the whole class and this can generate deeper discussions with a wider range of students participating.
The strategy could be used for reviews, discussions, brainstorming, quiz reviews, topic development, etc., as well as during any point in a lesson. As a variation, you could add a written component as a Think-Write-Pair-Share. This strategy could be particularly helpful for classes like English or Social Studies where you are trying to get students to interact with a text and ideas at a deeper level, or for classes like Science and Mathematics that require students to think critically to solve problems. You can choose to incorporate technology or not. But no matter how you do it, this strategy is a great way to encourage collaboration and communication among students!
Additional Resources:
Teacher Toolkit - further explanation, examples, and templates for use in high school(/blockquote>
Plymouth Community School - variations and strategies for this instructional method
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