Teaching and Learning at The Vineyard
Talk partners, a strategy where students are paired to discuss ideas and solve problems collaboratively, play a vital role in fostering learning and personal development in classrooms. It promotes collaborative learning, enhances communication skills, boosts confidence and participation and provides immediate feedback for children and teachers.
This half-term, we have introduced a new approach to talk partners, for teachers to use with their classes, called 'think, pair, share'. This approach enables a teacher to, first, pose a question and then give the children thinking time to process the question and formulate a response. The children are then asked to talk to their partner, exchange and compare ideas and take turns to listen to what each individual has to say. In the final step, the teacher asks some children to share their ideas with the whole class.
This new approach has enabled teachers to check the children's understanding and address any misconceptions that may arise in the lesson. By combining reflection, peer discussion, and group sharing, it creates a rich and inclusive learning environment where every student has a voice.
Ms Reilly and Mrs Dempster
Assistant Headteachers for Teaching & Learning
