5.4 Protocols for Learning

The following activities assist students in processing new information, helping them to think about what they are learning:

Think, Pair, Share

This is a collaborative learning strategy in which students work together to solve a problem or answer a question. Students are required to think individually about the topic or question, work in pairs to solve the problem, and share their ideas. Students must be provided with enough time for thinking about the assignment, enabling them to formulate individual ideas for sharing. This promotes classroom participation and supports relationship building.

Think, Pair, Share increases each student’s sense of involvement in classroom learning. It also supports formative assessment, allowing the teacher to circulate through the class and listen to the conversations as students share their ideas. This activity uses learning as a catalyst in helping students to get to know one another better and gain a greater sense of belonging.

Download a copy of the Think, Pair, Share worksheet and use the table provided on the second page to create a chart for prompting students about what to share during the exercise. Follow the instructions on the first page for leading the activity.

Read, Stop, Think

This is another activity designed to help students to reflect on their learning. It is meant to help students process what they have just read, connect new material to previous knowledge, and prepare to make connections to new information. Another version of this technique is Stop, Think, Retell. Both are included on the worksheet.

Download a copy of the Read, Stop, Think worksheet and distribute copies of the graphic organizer of your choice to each student. Follow the instructions on the first page for leading the activity.

Create Your Own Questions

This activity helps to activate student knowledge and arouse curiosity by emphasizing the importance of asking questions both silently and vocally. It is meant to engage each student in personal discovery, individually and in the group.

Download a copy of the Create Your Own Questions worksheet and distribute copies of the Questions I Still Have list to each student. Follow the instructions on the first page for leading the activity. During the group discussion, the teacher can promote self-directed learning and self-created questioning using prompts for students to state examples, or non-examples (opposites) of the ideas that form their questions, or consider how people of different ages or from different countries might see the same question. The teacher can expand on the exercise using games or other strategies to assist students in critical thinking and creating their own questions. Making it more fun and interesting supports the objective of impressing upon students that they should create their own questions about what they are learning throughout the school year, not just at the time of this exercise.

 

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