Objective:
- Build deeper reflection by working with others
- Explore and understand process and experience through reflection
- Develop reflective practice within learning
Overview:
This simple and effective reflective technique works in all teaching spaces and across all group sizes. This requires some individual time, some time working in pairs and then working wider across the group. It is a collaborative process that deepens individual reflection and shares collective thinking effectively with a group of any size.
Activity:
This activity is a cooperative learning technique that encourages individual reflection that builds through three distinct steps:
Think: Students think independently about the question that has been posed, forming ideas of their own or reflecting up their own learning experience or journey. This stage should not be rushed as it is key that individuals take time to think on their own, making notes or reflecting personally.
Pair: Students are grouped in pairs to discuss their thoughts. This step allows students to articulate their ideas and to consider those of others.
Share: Student pairs share their ideas with the full group and the tutor supports or facilitates a group discussion on the consensus of ideas.
This technique works well for reflection but also any open-ended questions or problems that require discussion. Other amends are to "Write- pair-share" which ensures that the individual element of the task is not rushed, or to avoid the third stage of "share" across the whole group.
Skill Development:
You can enhance the presentation skills within this task by asking each person to stand and respond individually, moving round the group – or to create a powerpoint slide to share their individual or joint thinking from the process. However the immediacy of this process, requiring no resources and yet engaging all the learners in reflective practice is very attractive to use in class, with large groups.
References:
http://www.cultofpedagogy.com/think-pair-share/