Question 1

What is a three heads task?

Accepted Answer

Three heads is a discussion format where three characters give three plausible answers to a question. Pupils discuss which is correct and explain why the others are wrong. The format surfaces misconceptions and forces evidence-based reasoning.

Question 2

How is three heads different from a multiple-choice question?

Accepted Answer

In a multiple-choice question pupils pick an answer privately. In a three heads task they justify out loud, defend it against alternatives, and engage with the reasoning behind wrong answers — which is where the learning happens.

Question 3

Is the three heads format suitable for primary?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The three-character framing is particularly accessible to KS2 pupils, and the format works as either spoken discussion (Year 3-6) or written explanation (Year 5-6). For KS1, simplify by reducing to two heads.

Question 4

Where do the misconceptions come from?

Accepted Answer

Chalk generates the wrong-but-plausible answers using known classroom misconceptions for the topic. For maths and science, you can cross-reference Chalk's misconceptions library for the underlying research.

Question 5

Can I use three heads for history or English?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The format works for any subject where there's a defensible "correct" answer and at least two plausible alternatives — historical interpretation, character motivation in fiction, or grammatical analysis all work well.

Which idea do pupils mix up?

What you'll get

Three Heads

Which idea do pupils mix up?

What you'll get