3PS: Process, Plan, Partner, Share
Need a more structured version of Think, Pair, Share for your students? Our multilingual learners need culturally-responsive, low-stakes opportunities for output.
3PS is a structure is best utilized for reflective questions, sharing our own thoughts/opinions on a topic, or discussing our own lived experiences. 3PS is a structure that includes ALL language domains in a short span of time: all students are listening, reading, speaking, and writing (and may also be viewing & representing, depending on what students do!).
Process: The first step here is to share the prompt (write it out and say it out loud) and then pause for 30-90 seconds. The think time/wait time is EMBEDDED into this structure. During this time, you can set a timer, stare at the ceiling, but don't allow students to raise their hands or write or speak- not quite yet. You might repeat a few words or phrases during this time. Bonus: share a few different rewordings of your question, AND/OR offer a few initial stems and frames.
Plan: During this time, give students a post-it to capture some thoughts. Students can write words, phrases, or full sentences. They can make a list if they'd like. They might also choose to doodle, draw, or diagram. They may choose to do this part in their own heritage language. Optional: you can give all students time to practice out loud what they may say to their partner - "say it out loud into your hands!" or "put your head down on your desk and tell the floor what you might say!" That oral rehearsal may be a confidence booster before dialoguing with a partner.
Partner: Identify a Partner A and a Partner B to determine who might go first and allow each partner to share for about 60-90 seconds. If Partner A is "all done" sharing, Partner B may not begin quite yet, but they might opt to repeat a few key words or phrases back to Partner A. During Partner time, students may choose to keep their eyes on the post-it the entire time, and read their post-it like a script, especially if they wrote in full sentences. Or, a partner may decide to use their post-it as a reference point, moving their eyes from their partner to their paper. Reiterate to students that they don't need direct eye contact with their partner to have a great conversation. Your eyes can naturally move to the ceiling, to their post-it, to their partner, etc. If a partner captured their thoughts in a language that isn't a shared language with their partner, they may use their Partner Time to use a tool or device to translate key words or phrases.
Share: This is not where all the partners "share out" with the class. That eats up instruction time, and by the time you make it all the way around the room, everyone starts to repeat the same stuff. Instead, ask for 2-5 folks in the room to share, and provide a few sentence stems/frames they may wish to use (that include our/we pronouns). Ask them to not raise their hands, but to just begin talking when ready. When you do this, look to the floor or the ceiling instead of looking at them - many students have grown accustomed to raising their hands and will still wait for you to call on them. Additionally, if you've ever been in a situation where your partner volunteers to share what y'all did, and they go a little rogue and share out things that weren't in our discussion at all, I may feel a little blindsided. By keeping it open to 2-5 folks in the room, it allows both partners the opportunity to share their own perspectives! By doing it this way, you'll also have less repeats.
Here's a quick slide deck with a sample!
What are the benefits of this structure?
*Low Prep: As the educator, you only need to prep your question and potential stems/frames! The more students utilize the structure, the smoother this goes!
*Lowers the Affective Filter: Because students have embedded wait time along with multiple opportunities for rehearsal prior to speaking, the use of stems/frames to initiate language, the opportunity to express in the way they feel most comfortable, this all contributes to a lower AF!
*This structure can be used across grade levels, content areas, and teaching styles!
*This structure easily engages students to utilize the language of their choice.
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