Think-Pair-Share
Think-Pair-Share in literacy
Think-Pair-Share asks students to first think critically about a reading passage, developing their own thoughts based off the reading, possibly with a teacher’s prompt. The students then pair up with another student, and they share out their personal thoughts, possibly comparing their responses and developing a unified response. A follow up can be to report out to the larger group about the discussions each pair had. Think-Pair-Share reinforces individual responsibility and critical thinking as well as skills necessary for articulating individual thoughts and carrying on critical discourse with others. As opposed to large group discussion, every student is held responsible for responding to the text.
Think-Pair-Share in music
This strategy can be used in the same way within the music classroom. After performing or listening to a piece of music, the teacher provides a question to which each student creates a response. The students then pair up with one another and share their responses, preparing shared response that can be shared with the ensemble as a whole. These observations can be used to improve performance, increase awareness of musical concepts, or prepare for future learning.