Dubon, L.P. and Shafer, K.G. (2010). Enhanciing think-pair-share. Teaching children mathematics 16(8), 451-455.
The article I read was called Enhancing Think-Pair-Share. The article was based on a study done in a kindergarten classroom. Three researchers (Tyminski, Richardson, and Winarski) developed and decided to test their more detailed "think-pair-share" teaching strategy in a kindergarten math classroom. One of the reasons these three scientists decided to complete their study in such a young classroom was because of the high energy and the passion for learning was so evident. Having so much energy brings a new level of communication in a classroom, and having a classroom based upon the standards is so much more effective than having a classroom based on the information that is being taught. At such a young age, teachers need to teach students how to think at a deeper level, by "conjecturing, reasoning, representing, and communicating mathematics." (NCTM).
The authors and researchers really encouraged student-to-student verbal interaction. They liked the think-pair-share teaching theory, but they added a few more steps to make it more effective. They also added a protocol, to help students organize their thinking and to improve on their listening skills. When this occurs it strengthens their problem solving skills. (NCTM). The protocol begins by expressing the problem by stating, "My problem is.." then responding with, "I heard you say...is that right?" The first person then responds by saying, "My suggestion is..." and then finishing the conversation with, "I can agree to.." (NCTM). Having students practicing this will help them solve problems more effectively and listen to their classmates. For the modified think-pair-share teaching strategy there are five phases. The phases are: orientation, play-investigate, share-reorient, pair-play pair-listening, and whole group share. Having these phases breaks down what exactly needs to happen when practicing the think-pair-share strategy. Students need to know what is expected out of them and what the directions are. Then they need to investigate/play the lesson. Once they become familiar with the task they can then share knowledge with their peers during the share-reorient phase. Afterwards, students can play and explain to each other what they have noticed. At this time the researchers went around and asked students questions, when they phrased the questions differently some students had a difficult time answering them. To conclude the lesson, the whole class should have a class discussion where all the students where they discuss their discoveries and different ways of completing the assignment. Overall, this modified teaching strategy really flourishes when students use each other to help develop new ideas and concepts. The researches new method helps the students discover these new ideas through communication and having students practicing how to listen to each other. This strategy is not only great for a math classroom, but any classroom.
No comments:
Post a Comment