What is phone a friend?

When a learner is stuck during questioning or independent work, they can "phone a friend" The friend offers a hint, explanation, or suggestion rather than the answer The original learner then uses the support to complete their response Celebrate the collaboration, not just the final answer

Phone a Friend | Rainbow Curriculum

How it works

Phone a friend borrows its name from television quiz shows. When a learner cannot answer a question or is stuck on a task, they are allowed to call on a classmate for support. The friend does not give the answer; instead, they offer a clue, a starting point, or an explanation that helps the stuck learner think it through.

This strategy serves multiple purposes. It normalises asking for help, which many learners find difficult. It gives the "friend" practice in explaining their thinking. And it keeps the original learner engaged rather than shutting down when they are stuck.

Phone a friend works well during whole-class questioning. If a selected learner cannot answer, instead of moving to someone else (which signals that their contribution does not matter), they phone a friend. After receiving support, they give their own answer. The teacher can then ask: "What did your friend say that helped you?" This makes the thinking process visible.

The strategy also works during independent tasks. Learners who are stuck can approach a designated friend for support before asking the teacher. This reduces teacher dependency and builds peer learning into the classroom culture.

Classroom example

A Year 5 Mathematics and Numeracy class in a Cardiff school is working on word problems. The teacher asks Rhys to explain how he would solve a two-step problem. He hesitates and says he is not sure where to start. The teacher says: "Phone a friend." Rhys turns to Sienna, who whispers: "What operation would you use for 'altogether'?" Rhys thinks and says: "Addition. So I add these two first, then..." He completes the explanation. The teacher praises both the answer and the collaboration.

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Curriculum for Wales connection

Phone a friend develops the "Reflect" strand of thinking skills by building metacognitive awareness about when and how to seek help. It supports the Four Purposes by developing "ambitious, capable learners" who can identify when they need support and "ethical, informed citizens" who help others willingly.

Rainbow Curriculum's Thinking Tools lens helps you plan where peer support strategies are used across your curriculum, ensuring that collaboration and help-seeking are valued skills, not signs of weakness.

Tips

Teach friends to give clues, not answers. "What does the first sentence tell you?" is better than "The answer is 42."
Allow learners to choose their friend or assign talk partners who act as default friends.
A common pitfall: only allowing phone a friend during questioning but not during independent work, where it is equally valuable.
Combine with MKO so that learners know who the subject experts are when they need a friend.
Make it routine so that asking for help becomes natural, not embarrassing.

Related tools

Ask the Audience

A questioning strategy where a learner who is struggling can call on classmates for help, reducing anxiety and keeping the whole class involved.

No Hands Up

A questioning strategy where the teacher selects who answers rather than relying on raised hands, ensuring all learners are engaged and accountable for thinking.

Talk Partners

A structured paired discussion strategy where learners are paired to discuss ideas, rehearse answers, or solve problems together before sharing with the wider class.

Think-Pair-Share

A three-stage discussion framework where learners first think individually, then discuss with a partner, then share with the wider group, ensuring all learners engage with the question before whole-class discussion.