Think-Pair-Think-Share and Language in the High School Geometry Classroom

Abstract

This study was the first formal look at a cooperative learning strategy, Think-Pair-Think-Share (TPTS), designed to aid learners who struggle with academic language. TPTS allowed quiet time for individual thought when the memory of those with language differences was heavily taxed. This qualitative interview study with a descriptive issue-focused analysis described the experiences of six students in a private Indiana high school geometry classroom over a three-month period. I interviewed each of these subjects one month prior to the first class session that involved TPTS, following one class session using video-stimulated recall, the day following the last observed session, and one month later in a focus group. The four additional students in the classroom were included in field notes and videotapes to document their interactions with the six chosen students. The analysis focused on the students’ usage of mathematics vocabulary, cultural connections, response variety, and gestures showing cognitive shifts and observable activity during quiet times. Students who struggled with language comprehension or vocabulary found additional quiet time useful when they knew they would be required to explain thinking to the class. Discussing mathematics tasks with peers increased their understanding above teacher lecture alone. Fluency with mathematics vocabulary and variation of solutions increased. Finally, over the course of the TPTS intervention, students made better use of homework time, student discourse increased during problem solving, and the teacher’s views about the effectiveness of cooperative learning became more positive.