What is a 'think-aloud' strategy?

The 'think-aloud' strategy is effectively a technique used by instructors to model their thought process during reading. This method involves the teacher verbalizing their thoughts in real-time as they read a text. By doing this, the instructor demonstrates how to make connections, ask questions, visualize content, and summarize information, which provides students with a clear example of how skilled readers approach a text.

This strategy is beneficial as it allows students to see the cognitive processes involved in comprehension, including how to navigate confusing passages or identify key ideas. It fosters deeper understanding and helps students develop their own metacognitive skills, allowing them to apply similar strategies in their reading.

Other approaches, such as silent reading or independent reading, do not emphasize modeling thinking or the cognitive processes associated with it. Assessing understanding typically involves different forms of evaluation that do not incorporate the real-time thinking that 'think-aloud' does. Thus, the 'think-aloud' strategy stands out as a unique instructional tool that aids in demonstrating reading comprehension through verbalized thinking.