Implemention of the 3-2-1 Teaching Strategy in Classrooms
A 3-2-1 prompt helps Students structure their responses to a text, video, or learning activity by asking them to illustrate three takeaways, two questions, and one thing they liked. It provides a way for instructors to check for comprehension and to gauge Students’ interest. Distributing 3-2-1 responses is also an effective way to prompt a class debate or to review material from the previous lesson.
Implementation
Ask Students to Answer the 3-2-1 Prompt: After Students engage with content or a learning experience, ask them to write the following information in their journals or on separate paper:
Three things that they have gleaned from this learning activity or this content.
Two questions that they still have.
One aspect of class or the content that they enjoyed.
Assess Students’ Responses: Use Students’ responses to guide your teaching decisions. 3-2-1 responses can help you identify areas of the curriculum that you may need to review again or concepts or activities that hold special interest for Students.
Modifications
Content-Specific 3-2-1: Instructors can modify the elements of the 3-2-1 method to focus on particular content questions.
Identifying Main Ideas 3-2-1: You could also utilize the 3-2-1 structure to help Students identify main ideas from supporting information.