Take 2 for Teaching & Learning: Modeling Your Thinking
In this episode of Take 2 for Teaching & Learning, Gabrielle Likavec demonstrates how modeling your thinking can demystify complex content and foster critical thinking skills in students. This method is grounded in the cognitive apprenticeship model (Collins, Brown & Newman, 1989), which emphasizes not only presenting expert knowledge, but also revealing the thinking processes behind it. Through techniques like modeling, coaching, scaffolding, articulation, reflection, and exploration, teachers make invisible cognitive processes visible and guide learners through the often-hidden stages of reasoning.
Often called think-alouds, this strategy allows students to “eavesdrop” on expert cognition. By verbalizing their inner dialogue, whether while engaging with text or working through a problem, educators model metacognitive control, enabling learners to internalize strategies for monitoring and adjusting their thinking. Key benefits of this strategy include:
- Metacognitive development: Students learn to monitor, clarify, and adjust their thinking.
- Equity and accessibility: It demystifies thinking for learners lacking prior exposure or confidence.
- Increased engagement: Intentionally planned think-alouds boost comprehension and student curiosity.
Best practice involves intentional modeling, not improvisation.
- Select critical moments (e.g., confusing text, complex reasoning).
- Verbalize thoughts clearly—“I’m wondering…,” “Is this familiar?,” “Maybe I should reread…”
- Guide students through gradual release: “I do… we do… you do”
- Provide coaching and scaffolding, then prompt reflection and student articulation.
Modeling thinking acts as a cognitive blueprint: it makes invisible processes visible, scaffolds student understanding, and nurtures autonomy. By planning and verbalizing their reasoning, then gradually fading support, educators empower students to think through new challenges with confidence and clarity.
References
Collins, A., Brown, J. S., & Newman, S. E. (1989). Cognitive apprenticeship: Teaching the craft of reading, writing, and mathematics. In L. B. Resnick (Ed.), Knowing, Learning, and Instruction—Essays in Honor of Robert Glaser
Kucan, L., & Beck, I. L. (1997). Thinking aloud and reading comprehension research: Inquiry, instruction, and Social Interaction. Review of Educational Research, 67(3), 271–299. https://doi.org/10.3102/00346543067003271
Southam, A., & Costley, J. (2024). The role of modelling during instruction in collaborative creativity. Thinking Skills and Creativity, 54, 101660. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tsc.2024.101660