Intentional Thinking & Collaboration

When doing collaborative and substantive conversations, I’ve noticed that some students sit back and let the type A personalities kind of take over. My quieter students never get a chance to speak, or have time to collect their thoughts. '

I’m sure you can relate. Sometimes we just need a moment to collect our thoughts.

This quick strategy was an easy solution for my quieter students! .

ASK: pose the question or problem to your group

THINK: set your timer for 1 minute. Students are to be silent during this time to THINK about the question. 

TALK: Set your timer for 1 minute. Students will talk to the people at their table about a possible answer. 

THEORIZE: On paper or a whiteboard, have students brainstorm ideas. ALL Students must write at the same time, so make sure you have a large surface. 

THINK: set your timer for 1 minute. Allow students this quiet time to process what was said and gather their thoughts. 

WRITE: Students will write a response independently. 

SHARE: share with others and edit as needed.

That’s it. Let me know if you try it, or something similar! I would love to hear how it worked with your students!