Pens in the Middle
Grouping of Students:
• 3-5 students (ideally), but works with up to 10
Materials Needed:
• Pen/pencil for each student
• Other lesson materials (varies with lesson)
Directions:
• Group students (3-5 students per group)
• Inform groups of discussion topic
• Instruct group members to take turns sharing ideas about the discussion topic.
• As each student shares, he/she places his/her pen in the center of the table.
• After a student moves the pen to the middle, he/she may not share again until all pens are in the middle of the table (ensuring all students get a chance to share).
• Teacher may monitor the group discussions by circulating among tables and picking up random pens. The student whose pen is chosen will share his/her contribution to the group with the teacher.
Citation:
Crawford A., Saul W., Matthews S. and Makinster J. (2005). Teaching and learning strategies for the thinking classroom. New York: International Debate Education Association.