Best Practices for Pair Work

Pair and group activities take up the lion’s share of time in many teaching. They have been popular with teachers for many decades and no doubt will go on to be accurate in the future. Pair work is when two students are instructed to partner up to complete a task the teacher sets. Tasks can be as short as 30 seconds to as long as hundreds of hours (such as with extended investigations). One common strategy is that if students are seated in pairs, the teacher will instruct them to ‘work with their partner’. If they have another seating group, the teacher will either allow students to choose a partner, or they will quickly organise pairs by pointing at each student and saying something along the lines of ‘you 2 work together; and you 2, and you 2; and you and you; and Josh and Sabrina; thank-you’.

The exercise can be as short as 30 seconds to as long as hundreds of hours (such as with extended investigations).

Select the right sort of activity

Also, remember that not all activities add themselves to pair work before setting up. Many teachers will observe that there must always be a good to work with a partner rather than individually practically.

Short or longer activities with clear steps work well as a rough guide. Problem-solving, comprehension questions following a listening or reading, and project-based activities are promising approaches to exploring and filling in worksheets. Not so much.

Give clear-cut instructions

It is essential to know that before you even set foot in the classroom, please ensure you have a solid goal for the activity and learn how to give clear instructions. (Simple, concise instructions will reduce student interruptions and fact-checking mid-activity!)

Just make sure that after explaining the activity, you can consistently demonstrate, using a student as your partner, and check understanding with a few quick questions.

Finally, set a precise time limit, and show students how you will signal when time is running out. (You may like to call out a particular word or use a sound effect, alarm, or stopwatch app.)

Why Is Partner Work Essential?

Whole group and small group instruction are necessities in a high-performing classroom. Individual work time also can provide differentiated practice for students on literacy activities.

But don’t forget about partner work – it’s a powerhouse! I could go on and on about why I think partner work is essential. But I’ve narrowed it down to a few top reasons:

1. The aim is to know that partner work increases student engagement. When participating in whole group instruction or working singly, they can. Very quickly zone in and out.

Just think about your learning experiences – a professional development session, for example. Sometimes you accidentally space out or daydream! But partner activities (like “Think-Pair-Share” and beyond) help keep people engaged.

2. The benefit of partner work is that it allows peer teaching. I’m always amazed at how students can explain things to one another in a student-friendly way. It is said that you have a student explain something to a struggling student, strengthening?both?partners’ knowledge of the topic.

3. There are ways to tell that partner work fosters student friendships. I often hear that teachers want a robust and inclusive classroom community. Educators say allowing students to get to know one another in a safe classroom environment is a meaningful way to help them make friends and build connections.

On the other hand, positive interactions in the classroom will transfer to other parts of the day, promoting that classroom community in and out of the school.

4. Partner work provides an opportunity for practising verbal communication skills.?In addition to teaching our students academic skills, we’re preparing them for their eventual adult life. They need to know how to interact appropriately with their peers.??

How Do You Set Up Partner Work?

This sounds fine and dandy, but how does this work in a classroom? Now you know what you want partner work to look like, but how could you get students from point A to B?

Here are some “rules” I like to abide by when setting up partner work:

• Provide a model. Consequently, students don’t always, by nature, know these skills. Demonstrate to them what it looks like to turn your body towards someone, make eye contact, and maybe even nod to show you’re listening. Name exactly what you’re doing and why.
• Students begin in small doses and then work to build up stamina.?At?the start of the year, have students work with one another for 1-2 minutes at a time. Bump this up each week by a minute or so.
• Help by rolling out partner activities attempt first with non-academic activities. This way, students aren’t bogged down with something they might not comprehend yet. I love doing “Get To Know You” activities with students during the first couple of weeks. For instance, you might arrange students to work with a partner to talk about their favourite type of pizza. Then they design a pizza with those desired toppings. And by the way, most activities are still academic! Kids don’t even know it… dividing up a pizza = working on fractions!
• Have clear-cut cues. Make up your mind what works best for you and your classroom. You might use a chime, a bell, a catchy clap – whatever works for you! But be consistent with this. Students should know exactly when to do the following :
• Start talking with your partner
• Switch which partner is talking
• Stop partner work

Try These Top 7 Go to Activities for Pair Work

Student Pairs to Interviews

We can always learn more about the people around us, no matter how long we have known them.?In this strategy, give your student pairs time to interview each other, either on a particular topic or in general, and then let them part in any intriguing facts they discovered with the rest of the class at the end of the discussion period.

Cover Opinions on a Controversial Topic

Controversial topics are great for getting students talking,, whether with the entire class or one-on-one.?People like to discuss their own opinions. And with a class of internationals and people from various countries, you will have differences of belief among your students. Inform your students to listen to their partners and regard opposing opinions, supply them with a topic, and let the discussions continue.

Give students a Jigsaw or Information Gap Activity

Called a jigsaw or information gap activity, giving each student only part of the information in a conversation is an outstanding way to get them talking.?Each individual will want the information the other one possesses to either reply to questions on a definite topic, negotiate a solution, or solve a problem they are granted.

Try Speed Conversations Method

This method will work with just about any other, but keep in mind that speed conversations are fast.?If you know anything about speed dating, you have a good idea of how this works. Get your students to arrange their chairs in two lines so each person sits across from another. Give your students two minutes to talk about the subject you delegate or complete the task you give; then call time. Now one line of students will move one seat to their right and face a new partner. These two will talk for the next two minutes, at which point the same line of students will move one seat to the right again. Keep going until everyone in the moving line returns to the seat where they started.

Games For Just Two Persons

Players should know that games are always a fun addition to class, and plenty are designed for just two.?They can be simple, no-prep games like Hangman or more formal games like Scrabble. Whatever the case, support your students to spend lots of time talking as they play.

Dial up a Telephone Conversation to Carry Through

The more exercise you give your students with simulated telephone conversations, the better they will do when encountering the actual thing.?You can supply your students with a scenario to play out for a phone conversation or give them a goal to carry through. Or let them talk about whatever relates to what you teach that day. Here just be sure your students sit back to back as they talk. This way, they will be devoid of the visual clues we have in face-to-face conversations but don’t have in telephone conversations.

Write a Story

Creativity is a valuable skill, and if you have creative students in speaking class, let them write a story or a skit together.?They will need to talk to each other to decide what will happen, and then they can work together to get the story written down. Have them share their story with the rest of the class when finished, or invite them to illustrate their stories and display them on a bulletin board.