Thinking Out Loud
One of the more effective techniques that is underutilized is what I call “unpacking your thinking.” This simple but important technique has the teacher talk out and verbalize the instructional steps to a problem or question. It makes the invisible cognitive process needed to solve a problem or learn a skill become apparent and more visible. This can be done both during the actual Input or instruction portion of the lesson, as well as during the Modeling. This strategy is also effective when Checking for Understanding, asking a student to verbalize his process to see where the student may have been misinformed or unclear.
There are a number of important learner benefits when a teacher uses this “unpacking” technique.
First, it can serve as an important auditory component to complement any visual input. Most students learn more efficiently when they receive the information in more than one modality.
Second, the teacher can demonstrate what the thought process should be when performing this skill or in analyzing a question. The teacher can show how his/her mind is working through the steps to solve the problem. The teacher can show how he/she steers clear of common errors, or how to brainstorm a solution, or use process of elimination, allowing the class to “listen in as I solve this problem.”
Also, the teacher can choose to perform a “non-model,” how NOT to perform the skill or apply the knowledge. The “unpacking of the thinking” helps students take note of common errors or careless mistakes which can typically contribute to ineffective learning. The teacher can say, “woops, oh no! I am not going to forget to check for punctuation mistake,” or “looks like I did not reduce this fraction correctly. Better go back!”
Finally, by including this technique in the lesson repertoire, students can be asked to perform or practice the learning and to “unpack their thinking,” talking it out as they go through the process. This not only strengthens the learning for the students but also is an opportunity for the teacher to immediately take note of a misperception in the mind of the student, or to note an error in the learning process to be corrected.
When a student gives an answer to a question or solves a problem, correctly or not, the teacher can ask the student to share how he arrived at that conclusion. This allows the teacher to applaud and reinforce a correct procedure, or to applaud correct parts of a solution while pointing out less effective parts of the process.
As mentioned, “unpacking your thinking” has multiple benefits when modeled and utilized effectively by the teacher.
Try it!
