The classic: think-pair-share

Think-pair-share (TPS) is the black dress of active learning: a highly flexible tool that can take as little or as much time as needed, and serve a number of pedagogical purposes including brainstorming, processing, problem-solving, and reflection. The basic premise of think-pair-share is trifold: (1) students benefit from having time to process prompts or problems individually (“think”); (2) students also benefit from explaining their thought process to others and receiving peer feedback/peer instruction (“pair”); (3) the whole class benefits from witnessing the diversity of perspectives/approaches represented in the cohort (“share”). The format of a think-pair-share activity is not fixed: the pairs can really be small groups; students can include AI in their conversations; the sharing can take the form of brief reports, longer group presentations, or written archives (handmade or digital);  the entire think-pair-share activity can serve as a quick energizing break in the middle of a lecture or as an entire lesson plan. Some examples of think-pair-share activities include:

• Knowledge inventories: ask students to write down everything they already know on a topic (or any connotations evoked by a term or concept). Then, invite students to compare notes with a classmate. Finally, have the class create a repository of their collective knowledge. (Goals: activating prior knowledge; assessing understanding; addressing misconceptions; sparking curiosity; building class community)
• Thinking breaks: following a lecture segment or demonstration, ask students to quickly write down a question, articulate a point of confusion, or make a connection to other areas of knowledge. Have students share with a peer or peer group to compare notes and/or grapple with questions. Address any remaining questions. (Goals: assessing level of understanding; promoting knowledge transfer; facilitating peer instruction; normalizing learning struggles)
• Problem-solving: task students with solving a problem related to the class. Have students compare problem-solving strategies in small groups. Facilitate friendly competition between groups by rewarding the group that comes up with the best solution. (Goals: application of knowledge; peer instruction; community-building)
• Reflection: ask students to reflect on how what they are learning in your course might be useful/valuable in other contexts. Have students compare notes in small groups and create a whole-class list of examples. (Goals: fostering motivation; encouraging knowledge transfer; community-building)

Note: while the think-pair-share model is widely used in academia, time-pressed instructors often shortchange the “thinking” part in order to move on to the “pairing” and “sharing” portions of the activity. It’s important to remember that many students need processing time before engaging with a question, and that offering sufficient “think” time allows a much larger number of students to participate in active learning, ultimately leading to a stronger, more engaged class community.

Beyond think-pair-share

While the think-pair-share template remains a trusted staple, the repertoire of active learning strategies is endless. Below are some examples of in-class activities that can be customized across fields and course modalities:

• Puzzles: human attention is readily captured by puzzles. Consider adding curiosity-stimulating questions, mysteries, and puzzles to get students thinking about your course content in new ways.
• Role-play and simulations: while few instructors can afford to engage students in multi-week role-playing scenarios (see RTTP pedagogy), assigning roles can enliven course discussions; bring to life case studies; illuminate the complexity of a problem; invite students to take on “expert” identities; promote emotional engagement and empathy; and alleviate social anxiety by allowing students to speak from the safe position of an assumed persona
• Case studies: considering real-life scenarios allows students to bridge theory and practice; apply course concepts to new contexts; articulate and evaluate alternative approaches to the same problem; and grapple with messy, multidimensional questions.
• Gamification: educational games allow students to access their innate capacity to enjoy learning. Popular applications (Kahoot, Quizizz) allow for the creation of simple quiz games students can play in class together. Other popular academic classroom games include scavenger hunts, tournaments, and Jeopardy- or Family-Feud-style competitions. Students can also try their hand at designing their own games based on course material.
• Teaching-as-learning: as every instructor knows (and research into human learning confirms), one of the most effective pathways to mastering content is teaching it to others. Giving students the responsibility for teaching course concepts to their classmates can enhance both engagement and learning. Students can teach one another by developing discussion prompts and facilitating class discussion; by assuming the role of teacher during “switch days,” panels, and class presentations; or by creating posters, instructional videos, glossary items, visualizations, and other instructional materials.
• Visualizations: visual models like concept maps, flowcharts, timelines, grids, and matrices help students grasp the big picture of a course unit, an entire course, or even an entire discipline. Asking students to create visualizations (or to complete partial visualizations supplied by the instructor) can help them make connections between course concepts, situate new learning within larger conceptual schemas, and document their own growing understanding of the subject.
• Exam prep: students can take an active role in exam review sessions by quizzing one another, creating study guides/crib notes, or even designing exam questions. Trying to create strong assessment items requires far more active engagement than “going over” class notes or listening to an overview of course material–and can help students gain appreciation for their instructors’ labor! When appropriate, student-generated questions can be included in the real-life assessment (or future ones), adding a layer of authenticity to the active learning task.

Check out this related teaching tip on strategies for refreshing student attention. [requires Sharepoint Login]

Active learning in large classes

While active learning is a natural fit for small seminar courses, instructors facing a hundred (or more) students seated in rows designed for passive spectatorship might struggle to venture beyond the traditional lecture format. Luckily, there are many successful examples of academic courses that incorporate–or even prioritize–active learning strategies at scale. Here are a few popular strategies for introducing active learning into large classes:

• Skeletal notes: to help students actively follow a lecture, video, podcast, or peer presentation, have everyone complete a set of partial (or “skeletal”) notes or a skeletal concept map.
• Classroom response systems (CRS): students can get involved by responding to real-time questions, problems, or puzzles using clickers, polling apps (PollEverywhere, Kahoot), or a simple show of hands.
• Minute papers: this short, timed writing activity can be used for brainstorming, reflection, testing understanding, identifying points of confusion, making connections between course concepts, retrieving information, developing metacognitive awareness, and many other purposes. Depending on the goal, instructors can collect minute papers to gain insight into student learning, invite students to share with one another, or simply allow students to process course material without instructor supervision.
• Application cards: a variation on the minute paper, an application card requires students to identify a real-life application for a concept learned in class.

Leveraging classroom space for active learning

Instructors teaching in-person courses can consider leveraging the physical space of their classroom to promote active learning. Moving around can be a great way to shake off fatigue, re-energize the brain, and think outside the box.

• Learning stations: this flexible strategy turns the classroom into a series of learning sites, where students can complete tasks, interact with peers, or gain knowledge. For example, first-day-of-class activity stations might include syllabus Q&A tasks, expert testimonials, browsing course textbooks, solving a field-relevant puzzle, and chatting with the professor. Setting up clear instructions for each station, as well as a clear process for moving between stations (in groups? on a timer? free for all?) is key to the success of this activity.
• Gallery walk: consider replacing traditional in-class presentations with a “gallery walk” where students set up stations (using posters or objects) while peers walk around the classroom and interact with the station “hosts”. You can provide a format for the interactions (e.g. ask two questions and give one piece of feedback) or let students go with the flow. Consider adding a wrap-up activity or deliverable to make sure the activity meets the intended learning goals.
• Timelines: help students visualize historical processes by creating a physical timeline of events relevant to your class. This can be a first-day of class activity designed to gauge preexisting knowledge, or a mid-term/end-of-term activity aimed at retrieving and organizing knowledge gained in the course.
• “Where Do You Stand?”: ask students to respond to a survey prompt by moving around the room. Likert scale questions can be visualized by positioning students on a spectrum line, while selecting multiple-choice answers can take the form of standing in parts of the room corresponding to each response. These embodied exercises allow students to visualize the diversity of opinions present in the classroom and can serve as a warm-up before class discussions or group work.
• “Speed-dating” circles: to facilitate interaction with a large number of peers in a class session, ask students to form concentric circles facing one another. As members of one of the circles move seats, they get to interact with a different peer each time, diversifying the connections and knowledge exchange within the class.

The above menu of classroom activities is by no means exhaustive. Over time, instructors committed to active learning tend to develop their own repertoires and variations. The key to creating active learning environments lies not in any one strategy, but in shifting our focus from teaching to learning. Instead of asking yourself, “What am I going to teach today?” ask, “What will my students learn today?” and curate your teaching strategies accordingly.

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