[Puts on glasses.]
[Posts this on the board.]
How will you know when the Think Aloud starts and ends, and what will you think about while watching?”
What questions do we have before I begin?”
Great, switching to Cole now.”
[Puts on glasses.]
This error is popping up right now and I’m trying to figure out what it means [...]”
[Speaks casually to them self about the error while writing, raises questions, considers solutions, tries out cases, comes to a conclusion, models self-monitoring, etc].
[Takes off glasses.]
And back to Mr. Chase.”
[Points to the focus question on the board.]
[Students think and/or write for 30 seconds.]
[Facilitates discussion to ensure students discuss the thinking involved in understanding the misconception that caused the error.]
Implementing a Think Aloud in the moment, as opposed to pre-planned, requires you to determine:
If students must observe cognition of a concept, a process or an application to clarify the misconception;
Which Standard(s) of Mathematical Practice to model;
The length of the thought process, which should be short enough for students to apply right away as you release responsibility once again;
The Depth of Understanding students require to clarify the misconception and to attain the learning goal.
“think-aloud” protocols facilitate metacognition and can increase concentration..
Posted November 9, 2020 | Reviewed by Ekua Hagan
Thinking aloud during a think-aloud protocol typically involves verbalizing what's going through your mind while engaging in any given task or playing sports.
During qualitative "Think Aloud" (TA) research, study participants are asked to say whatever comes to mind about what they're doing, thinking, and feeling as a way to gain insights into someone's metacognitive processes.
Different think-aloud protocols involve thinking about one's thinking via "concurrent verbalizations" in slightly different ways. For example, a Level 3 think-aloud protocol ( Ericsson & Simon, 1993 ) involves filtering and guiding one's mental activity before verbalizing thoughts. On the flip side, Level 1 and 2 think-aloud protocols involve more direct and immediate articulation of what's going through one's mind without additional processing.
Research into the psychological impact of thinking aloud can be traced back to the late 1800s and Wilhelm Wundt's " Selbstbeobachtung " (1888) technique of self-observation and introspection. During his groundbreaking metacognitive experiments, Wundt instructed participants to look inward and pay close attention to their inner thought processes while verbalizing their "flow of consciousness" in spoken words.
In the 1980s, Anders Ericsson and Herbert Simon advanced "Think Aloud" research in a seminal paper ( Ericsson & Simon, 1980 ) that concluded: "Verbalizing information is shown to affect cognitive processes only if the instructions require verbalization of information that would not otherwise be attended to."
In recent months, new Think Aloud research has shed light on how athletes cope with stressors ( McGreary et al., 2020 ), how TA can play a role in the resolution of desire-goal conflicts ( Gunn & Taylor, 2020 ), and how educating athletes about meta-attention also teaches them to concentrate ( Oliver et al., 2020 ).
Interestingly, the latest paper by Alex Oliver, "Teaching Athletes to Understand Their Attention Is Teaching Them to Concentrate," suggests that encouraging an athlete to verbalize what's going through his or her mind using TA Level 3 promotes metacognition and meta-attention in ways that may improve concentration . As the authors explain:
"Concentration, focusing on the most relevant information for further processing, is regarded as a prerequisite for successful sporting performance. Athletes must possess awareness, knowledge, and controllability of their attention to concentrate effectively. One way to develop this awareness, knowledge, and controllability of attention is through the mechanism of meta-attention—thinking about, knowing about, and controlling attention."
Previous research ( Whitehead et al., 2016 ) found that elite-level golfers tend to think aloud more during high-pressure situations; these findings suggest that TA vocalizations may offset an athlete's odds of choking when the stakes are high. As Amy Whitehead and coauthors explain:
"When performing under competitive pressure, it was found that higher-skilled golfers were more likely to verbalize technical rules compared to practice conditions, especially during putting performance. From a practical perspective, Talking Aloud can aid a player, coach, or sport psychologist by allowing thought processes to be identified and investigate a performer's thoughts when faced with the pressure of competition ."
Another recent study ( Stephenson et al., 2020 ) by Whitehead and colleagues showed how think-aloud protocols are a reflective practicing tool that "can help an athlete move between analyzing his own performance as if suspended above himself and engaging in the action."
Anecdotally, as a retired ultra-endurance athlete and Guinness World Record holder, I know that thinking aloud helped me take a "fly on the wall" approach to observing my own athletic performance while simultaneously making it easier to "think about my thinking" via metacognitive processes. Notably, the self-talk strategies that work best for me (and lots of other people) generally involve using non-first-person pronouns and thinking aloud in the third person ( Kross et al., 2014 ).
In addition to improving concentration, thinking aloud can also facilitate self-distancing , which has been shown ( Grossman et al., 2016 ) to increase heart rate variability, calm the nervous system , boost executive functioning , and improve wise reasoning. (See " Self-Talk Using Third-Person Pronouns Hacks Your Vagus Nerve .")
Alex Oliver, Paul J. McCarthy, and Lindsey Burns. "Teaching Athletes to Understand Their Attention Is Teaching Them to Concentrate." Journal of Sport Psychology in Action (First published online: November 04, 2020) DOI: 10.1080/21520704.2020.1838980
Christopher P. Gunn and Ian M. Taylor. "Using the Think Aloud Protocol to Measure Desire-Goal Conflict and Conflict Resolution in a Postural Persistence Task." Measurement in Physical Education and Exercise Scienc e (First published online: November 02, 2020) DOI: 10.1080/1091367X.2020.1835663
Michael McGreary, Phil Birch, Martin Eubank, and Amy Whitehead." Thinking Aloud. A Qualitative Analysis of Stressors and Coping Responses in Cricket Bowlers During a Competitive Match." Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health (First published online: October 18, 2020) DOI: 10.1080/2159676X.2020.1829013
James Stephenson, Colum Cronin, and Amy E. Whitehead. "'Suspended Above, and in Action': Think Aloud as a Reflective Practice Tool." International Sport Coaching Journa l (First published: January 2020) DOI: 10.1123/iscj.2018-0022
Amy E. Whitehead, Jamie A. Taylor, and Remco C. J. Polman. "Evidence for Skill Level Differences in the Thought Processes of Golfers During High and Low Pressure Situations." Frontiers in Psychology (First published: January 07, 2016) DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01974
Christopher Bergland is a retired ultra-endurance athlete turned science writer, public health advocate, and promoter of cerebellum ("little brain") optimization.
Sticking up for yourself is no easy task. But there are concrete skills you can use to hone your assertiveness and advocate for yourself.
The Sensemaking Metaphor addresses the ways that people derive meaning from and assign meaning to experiences.
Thinking Aloud – articulating one’s thought processes while solving problems. ( Thinking Aloud s very similar to, but typically presented as distinct from, Think-Alouds – a.k.a. Self-Explanation , under Sensemaking Metaphor .)
Please cite this article as: Davis, B., & Francis, K. (2022). “Thinking Aloud” in Discourses on Learning in Education . https://learningdiscourses.com.
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Give your students a play-by-play of your thinking and watch reading skills soar.
“The author doesn’t come right out and say it, but I’m getting the sense that the grandparents died,” Mrs. Sweeney tells her class of second graders while reading aloud from Thank You, Mr. Falker . Throughout her read-aloud, this teacher will stop to ask questions, make observations, and think deeply about the story. By allowing her class to eavesdrop on what she , a skilled reader, is thinking while reading, she is modeling the strategies used by proficient readers. She is building her students’ reading comprehension through the tried-but-true strategy of think-alouds , a powerful way to engage readers and to impact their learning.
To update your think-alouds or to return to this often overlooked strategy, follow these tips.
There is no “right” or “wrong” text for think-alouds. Just as reading aloud is fruitful for readers of all ages and levels , think-alouds work for any text, for students of any age, and across all content areas. We can think aloud with four-year-olds reading Knuffle Bunny just as easily as we can think aloud with eighth graders in their social studies textbooks.
Whether you are reading Dr. Seuss’ Green Eggs and Ham or Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast , every think-aloud requires that you peruse the text and use sticky notes to mark “juicy stopping points.” These are the junctures that, in one way or another, invite you to do something as a reader. Infer, ask a question, lean in and take notice of figurative language, and so on. Well-executed think-alouds do not emerge extemporaneously. They require thoughtful preparation, knowledge of the chosen text, and a meaningful connection between the text and the appropriate comprehension strategies. I like to use sticky notes to mark these points as I preview the text.
As I think aloud, I provide an obvious gesture that helps students differentiate between when I am reading from the text and when I am thinking about the text. To signal when I’m thinking aloud, I use my index finger and point to my temple or tap the side of my head. With this gesture, students readily understand that the words I’m saying are not found in the book but, rather, are in my head.
I-statements, as in, “I wonder if the author means …” or “I’m going to reread … ,” are the clearest ways for teachers to model the reading comprehension strategies that proficient readers use. Through “I” language, students begin to learn how to apply reading strategies to their independent reading.
The secret to success lies in planning think-alouds well. They may sound spontaneous, but they are expertly choreographed. So grab your favorite text, choose your marking spots where you will stop and think, and bring your readers of all ages one step closer to independent use of comprehension strategies.
For even more direction on how to use think-alouds, use this resource from the National Council of Teachers of English.
Tips and ideas for teachers and school leaders. Continue Reading
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In reading, the think-aloud strategy enhances comprehension by allowing students to actively engage with the text, verbalizing their thought processes, questions, and connections. Another approach is the use of reciprocal think-alouds, which fosters collaboration and helps students understand different ways of thinking.
Modelling through think alouds. The think aloud strategy involves the articulation of thinking, and has been identified as an effective instructional tool. Think aloud protocols involve the teacher vocalising the internal thinking that they employ when engaged in literacy practices or other areas of learning. The intention is that think alouds ...
Think-alouds have been described as "eavesdropping on someone's thinking." With this strategy, teachers verbalize aloud while reading a selection orally. Their verbalizations include describing things they're doing as they read to monitor their comprehension. The purpose of the think-aloud strategy is to model for students how skilled readers construct meaning from a text.
Modelling, as an instructional strategy, builds on the work of Wood, Bruner and Ross on the scaffolding of learning by a teacher or 'tutor'. An underpinning idea is that of contingent, or flexible, support and a transfer of responsibility from teacher to pupil. These are points later taken up in a more structured form in the idea of ...
The thinking aloud strategy is a form of self-directed metacognition. It is a technique that encourages learners to monitor and evaluate their own thinking as they complete an activity or solve a problem. The thinking aloud strategy can produce benefits such as improved metacognitive skills; enhanced understanding of the task at hand; better recall and organisation of information; enhanced ...
Make predictions as they read. Visualize the events of a text as they read. Recognize confusion as they read. Recognize a text's structure/organization as they read. Identify/recognize a purpose for reading. Monitor their strategy use according to the purpose for reading the text. In other words, students need to think while they are reading.
Think Aloud. Think-alouds are strategies that educators employ to help students monitor their thinking while reading. As a result, students improve their comprehension, confidence, and reading abilities. In essence, this practice encourages pupils to derive meaning from a text by using context clues and thinking out loud. With this strategy ...
The meaning of THINK ALOUD/OUT LOUD is to say one's thoughts so that other people can hear them. How to use think aloud/out loud in a sentence.
The author was thinking aloud about the plot twists, giving a glimpse into his creative process. The scientist was thinking aloud about the research, detailing every step. Emily might never have solved the equation if it weren't for her habit of thinking aloud. The coach was thinking aloud about the game strategy and sharing it with the team.
If you think aloud, you express your thoughts as they occur to you, rather than thinking first.... Click for English pronunciations, examples sentences, video.
During a "think aloud," the teacher reads aloud a section of a text, pausing every now and again to reveal what they are thinking about and doing in order to understand what they are reading. This strategy demystifies the process of constructing meaning from a text and helps students see all of the active thinking that leads to comprehension.
This can happen through a classroom reading club: a space for children to talk among themselves about what they have read purely for pleasure. Through talking, children begin to develop a critical ...
Think Aloud. Image source: www.makingeducationfun.wordpress.com. Think Aloud is a reading comprehension strategy that asks students to say out loud what they are thinking while they are reading, solving math problems, or responding to questions posed by teachers. Teachers that are effective in the classroom think out loud regularly to model ...
A metacognitive strategy which can help with teaching maths problem-solving is the ' Think Aloud' approach. In a ' Think Aloud', educators narrate their thought processes as they undertake a particular task. This provides pupils with a model which demonstrates how an ' expert' learner approaches a problem, making these invisible ...
The first step in thinking aloud is a close examination of the text. I peruse the text searching for the comprehension opportunities in its pictures, words, and layout. ... Molly Ness is an associate professor of education at Fordham University's Graduate School of Education. She is the author of Think Big with Think Alouds (Corwin, 2018 ...
This strategy can be applied to any content. It's about making our thinking transparent for kids, the steps we take to figure something out, and the ways in which our actions flow from this thinking. In this way, we are modeling what children need to do, not just telling them what to do. Using a think-aloud strategy in all content areas, for ...
Examples of teacher think-alouds. Example 1 (appropriate for lower elementary students) Excerpt from Reading Milestones, Yellow Level 3, Book 10, The Gold PrincessPage 71: The illustration shows a gold castle with gold dragons in front of it. The king is walking toward the castle with a gold flower in his hand and is saying, "My flowers are ...
There are infinite ways to execute a Think Aloud for any given scenario, yet they are all structured to set students to focus on teachers' modeled cognition. In an effective think aloud teachers: Model the thinking process orally and in writing
The think-aloud method is an established technique for studying human thought (cognitive) processes. Problem-solving and decision-making are essential skills for medical professionals, and the cognitive processes underlying these skills are complex. Studying these thought processes would enable educators, clinicians, and researchers to modify ...
In addition to improving concentration, thinking aloud can also facilitate self-distancing, which has been shown ( Grossman et al., 2016) to increase heart rate variability, calm the nervous ...
Thinking Aloud - articulating one's thought processes while solving problems. (Thinking Aloud s very similar to, but typically presented as distinct from, Think-Alouds - a.k.a. Self-Explanation, under Sensemaking Metaphor.)Please cite this article as: Davis, B., & Francis, K. (2022). "Thinking Aloud" in Discourses on Learning in Education. https://learningdiscourses.com.
Improving Reading Comprehension with Think-Alouds. Give your students a play-by-play of your thinking and watch reading skills soar. "The author doesn't come right out and say it, but I'm getting the sense that the grandparents died," Mrs. Sweeney tells her class of second graders while reading aloud from Thank You, Mr. Falker.
This is a review of research on thinking aloud in reading comprehension that considers thinking aloud as a method of inquiry, a mode of instruction, and a means for encouraging social interaction. As a method of inquiry, the analysis of verbal reports provided by readers thinking aloud revealed the flexible and goal-directed processing of ...