Finding the sweet spot between modelling ‘natural’ reading and purposeful instruction: Getting the most out of teacher think alouds

A think aloud might seem as straightforward as sharing the metacognitive strategies we are using as we are reading, but it can be challenging to reflect how a reader actually thinks. Sometimes we can easily fall into teacher or instructor mode, sacrificing the natural, authentic problem-solving and meaning-making that happens when we read. Ideally we want to find a sweet spot between ‘natural reading’ and purposeful instruction in a way that makes ‘invisible’ reading processes visible. Ultimately, we want a think aloud to be “low stress to plan and enjoyable to share with your students, and even have that great combination of high entertainment and high impact on students’ progress as readers.” (Dr Molly Ness, 2018).

An effective think aloud takes one small tweak: making sure we are modelling what a reader does as they read, rather than explaining what we’ve done after we’ve read.