Think, Write, Pair, Share

I tried this classroom strategy in class recently and found it really helped.

A variation of the classic strategy think, pair, share; think, write, pair, share is the same except for as you can probably guess! The second stage is learners write their response rather than talk to a partner.

I used it to build the field of knowledge in a particular content area but I think it could be used to answer any question, discussion point etc that you pose in the classroom.

This is an effective strategy for EAL learners because:

1. It trains them in the art of thinking before writing.  An important part of the learning process that EAL learners may need support in developing
2. They write a response on their own and then get to share their ideas with a partner / check their answer / look at language or compare vocabulary that is being used.
3. At the share stage learners get to hear other model answers, thus further enhancing their understanding of what has been posed by the teacher.

I think a further part that could be added to this strategy is that after the share part, learners then return to their original answer and improve it by taking into account the other responses that they have heard.  Thus they will be using another important part of the learning process, that being editing and revising!