3-Minute+Pause

=3-Minute Pause=

During the 3-Minute Pause, students engage in the following three modes of thinking:
 * Summarizing what they have learned
 * Identifying interesting aspects or what they already know
 * Raising questions about what they find confusing or do not understand

Steps:
 * 1) Explain to students that if you do not pause every few minutes to think about what you are hearing, viewing, or reading, then you are not retaining the information. New information may be stored in memory banks for a limited period, but much of it will be heard, seen, or experienced and then forgotten. By pausing every 10 or 15 minutes to think through new material, emphasize that you are in effect beginning to save it in your memory.
 * 2) Have students choose partners for a lesson or unit. Each pair decides who is Partner A and Partner B. When a 3-Minute Pause is called, use a stopwatch to time the 3 minutes, which will accentuate the urgency of moving directly to the task in order to complete the duties within a specific time period. For example, in a history class viewing a film on Gandhi's nonviolent protests, pause the film after 7-10 minutes for reflection.
 * 3) During the pause, Partner A summarizes key points and Partner B comments on both familiar and confusing material. At the next pause, reverse these roles.

Resource for implementation: [|3-Minute Pause Template] (Note: This template may be used as scaffolding while students get familiar with the strategy; once students are comfortable, the template will not be needed.)