TIES TIPS Foundations of Inclusion

Introduction

Reading is a complex process that requires students to not only read individual words, but also comprehend or determine meaning and understanding from what is being shared on the page. Teachers can support students’ development of comprehension through the use of think-alouds.   The think-aloud strategy prompts readers to verbally share their thoughts and reflect on their thinking as they read, solve math problems, or respond to content-based questions (Baumann et al., 1983; Davey, 1983). This process allows teachers and students to explain the strategies they are using to better understand the text. In this TIP, we discuss how to engage students with significant cognitive disabilities in think-alouds in the inclusive classroom.

Evidence

Thinking aloud is an effective way to support students’ use of academic vocabulary and engage students in the learning process (Teacher Vision, 2014). The purpose of the think-aloud strategy is to provide students with a model for how skilled readers use different types of strategies to address challenges they may experience when reading (Reading Rockets, 2014). In the classroom, this strategy can be used across subject areas and in a variety of ways. For example, teachers may use the think-aloud strategy to teach students how to connect what they already know about a topic to a text before reading it. This strategy may also be used when students are solving multi-step math problems, evaluating the outcomes of a science experiment, considering the context of a historical event, or even self-monitoring their own understanding of a difficult text (Teacher Vision, 2014.).

When modeling a think-aloud, teachers are demonstrating comprehension strategies such as how to (a) access prior knowledge, (b) generate predictions, (c) create mental images, (d) develop inferences, (e) effectively problem solve, (f) overcome challenges associated with word recognition and comprehension, and (h) self-monitor comprehension (Teacher Vision, n.d.). Once students are familiar with the strategy, the teacher may then ask them to actively take part in the think-aloud process. 

Steps to conducting a think-aloud:

1. Teacher begins by modeling the strategy and interacting with content (e.g., text, math problem, science experiment), specifically at points that may be difficult for students to understand.
2. Demonstrate how to verbalize thoughts using sentence starters related to your own understanding of the content and/or experiences during the reading process.
3. Provide students with structured opportunities to practice the strategy and provide specific feedback.
4. Once students have demonstrated proficiency, allow students to participate in reciprocal think-alouds, where students are paired together and take turns thinking aloud as they read from a difficult text or interact with other content.

Implementation

Figure 1 describes the process for a think-aloud. Think-alouds can happen at different points in the learning process. Sometimes teachers will plan a think-aloud to better understand what an individual student is thinking, while other times the activity may require students to work collaboratively with peers to help confirm and/or expand student understanding. Figure 2 provides examples of possible questions and sentence stems that may be asked or used during a think-aloud, whereas Figure 3 is an image of an anchor chart that includes think-aloud prompts for use within common reading strategies.

Figure 1. Think-aloud task analysis

Figure 2. Example think-aloud questions and sentence stems

Figure 3. Think-aloud reading anchor chart

Teachers can maximize their use of the think-aloud strategy by intentionally planning for these opportunities within their lesson plans. The think-aloud strategy can be most effective when teachers consider the following:

• Have I communicated the purpose of the think-aloud strategy before asking students to verbalize their thinking? Have I communicated it in multiple ways so that my students understand?
• Have I presented students with a set of questions or sentence starters that can be used to support students’ thinking?
• Have I provided support for students to communicate during the think-aloud?
• What information or keywords am I looking for to confirm students’ understanding? Have I provided scaffolds so that students are able to use the information or words?
• What will my response be if students continue to experience difficulty or if their understanding is still unclear? How could I build scaffolds and supports into this activity for students to use to help them confirm their understanding? How can I build a consistent pathway using scaffolds and supports so that students can generalize this across different types of think-alouds?

By examining these questions prior to delivering the lesson, general and special education teachers can determine an efficient response based on student need and effectively determine how to make this strategy accessible to all students. To make sure all students are able to participate in the think-aloud strategy, general and special education teachers must determine individual student needs (i.e., expressive and receptive communication skills, background knowledge). For example, participation in think-alouds can be made more accessible for students who have varying language-related skills by making use of pictures and symbols students can point to and programming AAC devices to include content-related words and question stems students can use to help formulate part of their responses. 

Below is an example demonstrating how general education and special education can work collaboratively to provide think-aloud opportunities for all students, including those with a significant cognitive disability. Together, these teachers used the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework (Meyer et al., 2014) to consider potential barriers and identify possible solutions to create access points in this activity for all students.

Summary

Engaging students in the learning process by using strategies such as thinking aloud is an effective way to enhance students’ use of content-based vocabulary and to formatively identify strengths and weaknesses in students’ understanding. Participation in strategies such as think-alouds should not be based on the development of a students’ use of oral language. Rather, by purposefully planning to include the think-aloud strategy within content-based lessons, general education and special education teachers and staff can work collaboratively to create authentic participation opportunities for all students, including students with significant cognitive disabilities.