In math, the Rule of Three is a method of finding a ratio. In English essay writing, the Rule of Three states that things are more interesting to read in triads. In presentations, the Rule of Three comes in handy to keep the audience engaged, and in entertainment, the idea of trebling makes jokes and gags funnier.
As it turns out, economists, chemists, aviators, and scuba diversuse the Rule of Three (evenAgatha Christie did when shewrote a series of plays entitled, The Rule of Three). Although it has not been labeled as the Rule of Three, great educators have used it in classrooms since Aristotle (ever heard of syllogisms?). So what is the Rule of Three for learning? Well it is as simple as one, two, three (not kidding). The Rule of Three for learning basically establishes the requirement that students be given the opportunity to learn something at least three times before they are expected to know it and apply it.
As Easy as One, Two, Three
Step One of Three
Students engage in a particular learning topic for the first time. The key is that the student must be engaged; an introductory lecture or a movie clip don't count because the students are learning passively --just listening or observing. So after the introduction and modeling by the teacher, step one of the Rule of Three could be a vocabulary development exercise, a history inquiry activity about primary and secondary sources, or a mathematical patterns discovery excursion. The important thing is that students have their first roll-up-the-sleeves-and-get-messy experience with the content they are supposed to acquire. Much of what the students learn in this step will still be in the knowledge and comprehension level.
Step Two of Three
In this step, students have their second opportunity to practice what they learned in step one. Since students have some basic knowledge of what the topic is, this is a wonderful time to use collaborative-learning strategies. Students can analyze the word compositions by categorizing them according to similarities. Students can assess the validity of the data acquired from primary sources versus secondary sources using tertiary sources. Students would be able to expand their knowledge, for example, of mathematical patterns by creating unique formulas that create visual patterns when graphed.
Step Three of Three
While three steps are the minimum, sometimes students require more than three opportunities to learn. This step should not be viewed as the finalstep. In step three, students get to do the really fun stuff through project-based learning, product-based learning --with a lot of hands-on learning. All of these learning activities require problem-solving (analysis), critical thinking (evaluation), and creative thinking (synthesis).
Student learning could include creating a visual lexicon, a PowerPoint lesson for younger students, or an interactive HyperStudio presentation. History students, for example, can demonstrate varying perspectives of the different sources by creating a reader's theater, a quiz show, or a panel discussion. In studying mathematical patterns, students can create a photo tour of mathematical patterns that occur in nature or in architecture at the school or in the community.
The Rule of Three for learning helps us as teachers to design our lessons with not only multiple opportunities for the students to acquire the skills and knowledge, but it helps us to deliberately increase the level of complexity and difficulty with each iteration, which, as it turns out, helps the students to remember more because they are experiencing the learning rather than just observing it.
Teachers often expect students to know something after having only presented it once. Also, please do not assume that simply reminding the students three times,providing a pre-test orpost-test, or teacher modeling are part of a learning series of the Rule of Three. The Rule of Three has to be the students trying to recall, understand, or apply what they have learned on their own.
The Rationale
Posted above my office door in my classroom is a poster that reads, "The Rule of Three." This serves as a reminder to me, but it also helps my students. I constantly refer students to look at this poster to remind them that they should be patient and forgiving of themselves. Learning is difficult, and students need to hear things more than oncebefore they can expect themselves to be able to remember it, use it, andapply it. So, before you give your students any sort of evaluation, ask yourself, "What three learning opportunities have I given my students so they can be successful here?"
Math, science, aviation, and computer programming all have one thing in common: the Rule of Three. In those fields, it'san easy way to remember a list of three things that must be done. It is the same with the Rule of Three for learning. It is supremely easy to remember,and it identifies what must be done to learn effectively.
The Rule of Three equally applies to how students should study at home, as well as to how teachers should design their learning activities at school. How do you use the Rule of Three in your classroom? Please share in the comments section below.
FAQs
In academia its common practice to structure lessons and assignments around the rule of three. Learners of all ages typically need to do or interact with the new content three times before the information becomes concrete to memory. This is especially true in any kind of technical training.
What are the top 3 rules for learning? ›
These three rules even could be seen as principles that always apply. 1 Rule 1: Learn the basics first! 2 Rule 2: Practice what you learned! 3 Rule 3: Make mistakes!
What is the rule of three method? ›
The so-called rule of three is an educational tool utilized historically to verbalize the process of solving basic linear equations with four terms where three of the terms are known. Evidence suggests that there are two "different" rules of three: One direct and one inverse.
What is the power of 3 in learning? ›
The Power of Three (P3) helps elementary schools create a common language & processing strategy that can be used with all students. The first lessons of P3 are tier I instruction and taught school-wide. The remaining lessons are designed for tier II students who have been identified as having needs.
What is the rule of three in learning? ›
In academia its common practice to structure lessons and assignments around the rule of three. Learners of all ages typically need to do or interact with the new content three times before the information becomes concrete to memory. This is especially true in any kind of technical training.
What is the 3 rule example? ›
We can prove the divisibility rule of 3 with the help of an example. Consider the number 4368. We know that 9, 99, 999,… are divisible by 3, and thus the multiples of these numbers are also divisible by 3. So, the divisibility of 4368 is now dependent on the sum 4 + 3 + 6 + 8.
What are the three rules of learning? ›
Edward Thorndike developed the first three "Laws of learning": readiness, exercise, and effect.
What is the 3 by 3 rule learning? ›
The Rule of Three for learning establishes the requirement that students be given the opportunity to learn something at least three times before they are expected to know it and apply it.
What is the golden rule of learning? ›
Rule 1: People learn by doing.
Provide opportunities to apply new knowledge and skills by practicing in as realistic a setting as possible. Activities that involve thoughtful responses, decision-making and solving problems encourage active learning and also promote higher order thinking.
What is the rule of 3 examples? ›
Examples of the rule of three
In storytelling: “The Three Little Pigs,” “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” and “Three Billy Goats Gruff” are all classic examples of stories that use the rule of three. In speeches: “I came, I saw, I conquered” is a famous example of the rule of three used by Julius Caesar.
The rule of three is simple: things are manageable and elegantly presented in threes. A writer can write about three characters. A child can learn to use commas between three nouns in a series. And a reader can notice words and phrases that are repeated three times.
What is rule of 3 techniques? ›
The Rule of Three is a very simple way to get better results with skill. Rather than get overwhelmed by your tasks, you get intentional about your three victories that you want to accomplish. Think in Three Wins. This puts you in control, now matter how chaotic things are around you.
What is the 3 learning theory? ›
Although there are many different approaches to learning, there are three basic types of learning theory: behaviorist, cognitive constructivist, and social constructivist. This section provides a brief introduction to each type of learning theory.
What is the learning power of 3? ›
When we group things in threes, we remember and learn better. We are more productive too, because our mind perceives tasks and goals as easier to accomplish. Focusing on 3 or fewer things is brain friendly.
Why is the power of 3 so powerful? ›
There is brevity and rhythm to three while also representing the beginning of a pattern. Two of something is interesting, three is compelling and more of a trend. Three is also the minimum amount to be able to represent a beginning, middle, and end of something; a complete cycle or story.
What is the formula for the rule of three? ›
The Rule of Three is a Mathematical Rule that allows you to solve problems based on proportions. By having three numbers: a, b, c, such that, ( a / b = c / x), (i.e., a: b :: c: x ) you can calculate the unknown number.
How does the 3 rule work? ›
The Rule of Threes is simply breaking items down into one third — one third — one third. Depending upon the topic, a mix would be the simple math of 2/3 and ⅓ but the “3” remains in the denominator.
What is an example of the rule of three? ›
Examples of the rule of three
In storytelling: “The Three Little Pigs,” “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” and “Three Billy Goats Gruff” are all classic examples of stories that use the rule of three. In speeches: “I came, I saw, I conquered” is a famous example of the rule of three used by Julius Caesar.
How does the rule of three work? ›
The rule of three is a storytelling principle that suggests people better understand concepts, situations, and ideas in groups of three. Over time, the rule has been confirmed by anthropological experts as an archetypal principle that works on three levels: sentences, situations, and stories.
