Think pair share
Think pair share is a structured talk routine where pupils think alone, discuss with a partner, then share with the wider group. It increases participation and gives pupils rehearsal time.
- Subject
- Cross-curricular
- Key stage
- All
Frank Lyman invented think pair share at the University of Maryland in 1981. It is now in classrooms across the world for a good reason. It is the simplest possible structure for getting every pupil to think before any pupil speaks.
What it is
A three-phase talk routine. First, pupils think alone in silence for thirty to sixty seconds. Second, they discuss their answer with a partner. Third, the teacher draws answers from the wider class.
The structure separates thinking from speaking. The pupils who would normally answer first now have to wait. The pupils who would normally stay quiet now have rehearsed in pairs and have something prepared.
Why it works
The think phase is private retrieval practice. Every pupil is doing the thinking, not just the volunteer with their hand up. The pair phase is elaboration: pupils explain their thinking and respond to a partner’s. The share phase is oracy practice with the benefit of a recent rehearsal.
The EEF literacy guidance highlights structured talk routines, and Voice 21’s oracy framework treats think pair share as a foundational scaffold.
How to use it
Pick a question worth thinking about. Set the think time. Watch silence is actually silent. Cue the pair phase clearly. After the pair phase, cold call rather than asking for volunteers, because every pupil has rehearsed.
Pair with sentence stems for stronger oracy. “My partner thought, and I agree because” or “My partner said, and I would build on that by”.
When not to use it
Closed factual questions with one right answer do not need think pair share. They need a quick whole-class check. Reserve the routine for questions where reasoning is the point.
Related Chalk tools
Oracy Stems, Three Heads, and Diamond 9 all pair well with a think pair share opening phase.
Evidence
Lyman's 1981 routine has a defined structure (think, pair, share) and broad practitioner adoption. Direct RCT evidence of the routine is limited; evidence comes through the mechanisms it pulls on (structured oracy, retrieval, elaboration), each of which is well evidenced independently.
Try this in Chalk
Related concepts
Questions teachers ask
How long should each phase be?
How do I stop the same pupils dominating the share phase?
Does it work in primary?
Oracy Stems
Sentence stems and discussion scaffolds for structured classroom talk.
Open Oracy Stems