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Pose-Pause-Pounce-Bounce
Pose-Pause-Pounce-Bounce (PPPB) is an interactive, whole-class questioning strategy designed to deepen critical thinking, elevate student engagement, and foster collaborative classroom dialogue. This method shifts the traditional teacher-led question-and-answer format into a student-driven chain of reasoning. It relies on strategic wait time to build student confidence while requiring all learners to remain actively reflective, as any student can be called upon at any moment.
Pose-Pause-Pounce-Bounce
Summary
Pose-Pause-Pounce-Bounce is an active questioning strategy designed to drive deeper student thinking. The strategy involves four steps: the teacher poses a question, pauses to provide essential wait time, pounces on an individual student for a baseline answer, and bounces that response to a peer to have them expand upon the idea.
Procedure
Follow these four steps to execute the strategy in your classroom:
Pose: Pose a single, high-quality, open-ended question to the entire class. Explicitly insist that all hands remain down so that every student can process the prompt.
Pause: Hold a deliberate pause for 3–10 seconds. This vital wait time gives students the necessary space to formulate and refine their thoughts.
Pounce: Randomly select one student (Student A) to share their answer. Do not call on volunteers. Instead, call on students at random to ensure that everyone is listening.
Bounce: Immediately redirect Student A's response to another classmate (Student B). Ask Student B to evaluate, build upon, summarize, or respectfully challenge Student A's reasoning. You can continue to bounce the thought to Student C or back to a small group.
McGill, R. M. (2011, November 4). Pose, pause, pounce, bounce! Teacher Toolkit. https://www.teachertoolkit.co.uk/2011/11/04/pose-pause-bounce-pounce/
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Placement In Lesson
- Engage/Opening
- Explain/Closing
- Extend/Additional Learning Activity
Intention/Purpose
- Activate Prior Knowledge
- Active Engagement
- Analyze
- Collaborate
- Critical Thinking
- Elaborate
- Evaluate
- Reason
- Speak & Listen
- Summarize
- Synthesize
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