Teaching strategy involves a systematic approach that combines introduction, motivation, modeling, and think-aloud techniques to ensure students fully grasp the process.
A Structured Approach to Teaching Strategy
Here's a breakdown of how to effectively teach a strategy, leveraging insights from the provided reference:
1. Introduce the Strategy
- Clear Definition: Begin by explaining what the strategy is in simple terms.
- Specific Steps: Outline the strategy's specific steps clearly and concisely.
- Example: For example, if teaching a reading comprehension strategy like "Summarization", you would explain it as "identifying the main points of a text and expressing them briefly in your own words." Then you would list its steps:
- Read the text carefully.
- Identify the main idea of each paragraph.
- Combine main ideas into a short summary.
2. Motivate Students
- Highlight Benefits: Explain why this particular strategy is useful and how it will benefit students. This can be very motivating, as they see the value in their learning.
- Real-World Application: Connect the strategy to real-world scenarios or tasks they may encounter.
- Example: When introducing the "Summarization" strategy, explain that it helps remember key information, improves note-taking, and aids in overall comprehension.
- "This strategy will make studying for tests easier because you’ll be able to remember important facts more efficiently."
- "Imagine you are explaining a book to a friend, this skill will allow you to be concise and capture the main points effectively."
3. Model the Strategy
- Explicit Instruction: Demonstrate each step of the strategy clearly and explicitly, showing them how it is done.
- Hands-on Demonstration: Model the strategy using a concrete example. You can even work through a simple problem in front of your students.
- Example: Model the "Summarization" strategy by reading a short paragraph aloud and then, step-by-step, showing how you find the main idea and phrase a concise summary.
4. Think-Aloud Technique
- Verbalize Thoughts: As you model each step, verbalize your thought process by doing a "think-aloud." Explain what is going through your mind as you make decisions and apply the steps.
- Make Thinking Visible: Share your internal reasoning, your thought processes, and your approaches to problem-solving, so students can see how you are applying the strategy.
- Example: While modeling summarization, say things like:
- "Okay, first I read the first paragraph carefully. Now I'm thinking about the key points. The first sentence seems most important because it gives an overview of what the paragraph will be about, so I will take note of that."
- "Now, I'm thinking of ways to rephrase this idea concisely in my own words so that is captures the essence of the text without copying it verbatim".
Summary Table
| Stage | Description | Key Actions | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction | Explain the strategy and its purpose. | Define the strategy and explain each step. | Introduce summarization as a way to identify main ideas and express them concisely; List steps: read, identify, combine. |
| Motivation | Show students why the strategy is beneficial. | Explain how the strategy helps them; Connect it to real-world uses. | Explain summarization aids note-taking and test prep; Relate it to explaining things to friends. |
| Modeling | Demonstrate each step of the strategy using explicit instruction. | Work through an example aloud, showing each step. | Read a paragraph aloud, then show how you find the main idea of each part and how to combine them into a summary. |
| Think-Aloud | Verbalize your thought process as you model the strategy; Make your internal reasoning and approaches to problem-solving transparent. | Explain what's going on in your mind while you're applying the strategy and explain your decisions. | As you are modeling summarization, say things like: "I'm reading carefully, then looking for the main ideas, and rephrasing them." Explain why you select a certain idea, and what you are thinking as you are rephrasing a sentence. |
By following these steps, you can effectively teach strategies that students can use to improve their learning and problem-solving skills.
