Learning Strategies, Study Skills, & Paired Courses - College ...

Using Think Alouds
Description
All too often a student believes that “everyone but me” can pick up any printed information, read
it straight through, and understand it completely. To dispel this perception, I often use “think
alouds” that model how I make sense of text.
I ask students to bring in a newsletter or magazine about a hobby or a content textbook. I
randomly select a student’s material and ask the student to identify a portion for me to read.
Seated in front of the class, I begin to “read aloud.” I might, for example, start with previewing
the selection and setting a purpose for my reading. As I read, I might pause to ask myself a
question about the gist of what I am reading or even about individual words and phrases. I try to
consciously draw upon background knowledge and refer to other things I might have read or
heard about the topic. When something is particularly difficult to understand—and there is
almost always something difficult—I stop and describe some of my options. When I complete
the selection, I decide if I’ve fulfilled my purpose for reading. And, if I haven’t, I talk about what
I should do next.
By verbalizing my reading process on different types of materials, students see that most readers
have to work at reading and that the amount of work depends on the material. This process gives
students permission to not understand what they read the first time and gives them strategies for
reading purposefully and productively.
Additional Resources
Salinger, Terry. (2003). “Helping Older, Struggling Readers,” Preventing School Failure, 48, 79-
85.
Pressley, M., & Afflerbach, P. (1995). Verbal Protocols of Reading: The Nature of
Constructively Responsive Reading. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Contributor
Jane McGrath, Professor Emerita, Paradise Valley Community College, AZ (Jellenjay@aol.com)
16.