I was working with my colleagues at Human Services, Inc. this week and we were discussing the power of the “think aloud”. A think aloud is when the teacher stops during instruction and provides students with a peek into their own thinking (or that of a “good reader”). A think aloud might sound like this, “Hmmm…as I’m reading about this dog chasing the cats, I realize that I don’t understand what’s going on! I think I better slow down and go back to see if I can make sense of what I’m reading.”
When we were talking about planning for think alouds, one member of the group said, “Oh, so it’s like planned befuddlement!”
Well said!