Thinking Routines / The Micro Lab Protocol
The Micro Lab Protocol
Groups of three. Each person speaks uninterrupted while the other two listen, then a silence, then the next. Only at the end does anyone reply.
Opens on the whiteboard to model with the class · no sign-up · printing is optional
The sheet it prints — optional
What is the Micro Lab Protocol?
The Micro Lab Protocol is a structured talk routine for groups of three. Each person speaks for a set time while the others listen without responding, a short silence follows each turn, and only after all three have spoken does the group discuss.
How do you run the Micro Lab Protocol with a class?
Put the question up, give everyone a minute to think alone, then start the timer. Nobody may speak out of turn, including to agree. After the third silence, open the discussion and insist that contributions refer back to what somebody actually said.
Why the silence between speakers?
Because without it the second speaker replies to the first, and the routine collapses into a conversation the confident children dominate. The pause is uncomfortable, which is exactly why it works: it stops the reply being formed while somebody is still talking.
The first time you run it, at least one group will finish in twenty seconds and sit looking at you. Do not rescue them and do not shorten the timer — the discomfort is where it starts working, and by the third round the same children are still talking when the buzzer goes. I tell them beforehand that running out of things to say is expected and that they should keep going anyway. It also helps enormously to model being a bad listener first and letting them tell you why it was annoying.
When is the Micro Lab Protocol worth the time?
When the talk itself is the problem you are solving.
- A class where two children answer everything — this is the fix.
- PSHE and RE — questions where being heard matters more than being right.
- After a text or a film — first responses, before anyone influences anyone.
- Before a written task — they write far more having said it out loud first.
What usually goes wrong with the Micro Lab Protocol?
Somebody replies during a turn, usually to agree, and the whole thing becomes an ordinary conversation. Be strict about it for the first few rounds; once a class has felt the difference they police it themselves.
Which year groups is the Micro Lab Protocol for?
The Micro Lab Protocol suits Year 4 upwards, grade 3 in the US. Younger children find ninety seconds of uninterrupted speaking daunting, so shorten it to thirty and build up. The listening rule is the hard part at every age.
What do you do with it afterwards?
Nothing is written during the protocol — that is the point. Afterwards, ask each child to note one thing somebody else said that they had not thought of. That single line is worth more than a page of their own opinions, and it tells you whether the listening actually happened.
How often should you use the Micro Lab Protocol?
Every couple of weeks. It is not a quick starter — fifteen minutes minimum — but a class that meets it regularly starts listening better in ordinary discussions too, which is the actual reason to run it.
| Year group | US grade | What to change | How long |
|---|---|---|---|
| Years 4–5 | Grades 3–4 | Forty-five seconds each. Model the listening rule first. | 10 min |
| Year 6 | Grade 5 | Ninety seconds each, full silences. | 15 min |
| Year 7 and up | Grade 6+ | Add: your first contribution must quote somebody else. | 20 min |
The Micro Lab Protocol compared with the other routines here
Every other routine on this site captures thinking on a board. This one captures nothing at all — it is a way of taking turns, and its output is what a group heard rather than what it wrote. Use it when the talk itself is the problem.
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Where this routine comes from: the The Micro Lab Protocol thinking routine was developed by Project Zero, a research center at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Sage Teachers is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to Harvard University or Project Zero. The prompts and the wording on this page are our own.