by TeachingThe Staff of Thought
What is “3 before me”?
“3 before me” is a simple classroom strategy – arguably both a teaching and learning strategy – that requires that when students encounter a challenge, they must first ask three different people for help before contacting the teacher.
An evolution of this strategy? When students are “stuck,” they must first try to solve the problem in three different ways before asking the teacher. This makes it more flexible. You can have students ask one person to research two resources or two people and one resource. You can also group students in your class and have students go to someone from three of the groups. (You can group by general ability, content area, social factors, etc.)
Students’ ability to solve problems independently and collaboratively is a crucial element of a modern, effective classroom. When students are “stuck” or don’t know where to go or what to do next, the teacher is usually the first place to turn. But in a classroom, whether digitally connected or not, they can often solve the problem on their own or get help from multiple sources. To truly empower students in the information age, we must develop in students the ability, willingness, aptitude, and tendency to navigate complex tasks and information.
And this “rule” is a simple way to start.
What does “3 before me” require?
Of course, this approach requires that students develop a growth mindset (i.e. they believe they can) and practice them over time to build it as a learning reflex. It also requires that there be real “answers” in the classroom: more competent students, books, a search engine, encyclopedias, etc. The “stuck” ones obviously don’t have to be academic. If it is a matter of process, procedure, or classroom guidance, “3 Before Me” is more immediate and effective. If the problem is based on skills or content knowledge, the likelihood that the teacher will need to get involved is even higher but still less than 100% (as it was before using a strategy like this).
Over time, this approach can be a good starting point for converting students from “learning to do” to “learning to do well.” Of course, there may still be “areas of growth,” which is why the holistic “learning + others + kindness” approach that accompanies “3 Before Me!” is vital. Beyond mastering content knowledge and the ability to think critically, students also need time (both experiential and temporal) to progress in other areas and strengthen their abilities as readers, writers, and thinkers, that is, as “students.” We learn more in relation to and alongside our peers rather than being compared to them.
Only through growth and independence from institutions and adults can we create a society capable of truly making change – growing and solving persistent challenges. Evolve rather than reproduce. Progressive teaching and learning models should put people first and strive to help individuals develop their abilities to identify and solve problems on their own. Of course, “3 Before Me” isn’t a world-changing tactic. It is simply a step towards the student self-directed learning built around a self-organized learning environment.
Conclusion
In schools, students often learn in relation to books and adults rather than in relation to nature, objects or other environments. Instead of describing learning in terms of degrees of understanding, depth, or complexity, we identify success as relative and assess learning through subjective assessments of how well students performed relative to specific learning goals rather than how they identified problems, sought resources, persevered through uncertainty, and, over time, constructed learning knowledge (e.g., learning how to learn).
Although “3 Before Me” is not always about “solving complex problems” related to “understanding,” its consistent use over time can help students understand in ways that create a more sustainable learning environment for teachers and students.
What are 3 in front of me? An educational strategy to strengthen student capacities
