Make the Thinking Behind Success Visible
Updated: Sep 11
Modelling shows learners what success looks like.
Think-alouds make visible the thinking that helps you get there.
For experienced learners, many decisions have become automatic. We notice what matters, choose a strategy, check whether it is working and adjust when needed. Novice learners cannot see this thinking.
Effective modelling slows this process down, making both what to do and how to think while doing it visible. But learners shouldn't just watch and listen.
The ultimate goal is for them to think along, practise the thinking and eventually activate it for themselves.
What are some key moves for modelling and think alouds?
Model a specific aspect of successful learning while saying aloud the thinking, decisions and adjustments that help you achieve it.
1. Decide what thinking you want to make visible
Don't model everything.
Identify the specific feature of success learners need to see and the thinking they need to hear. Plan where you will pause and what you want learners to notice.
Ask: What does an expert do automatically here that my learners need made visible?
Think-alouds may sound spontaneous, but effective ones are deliberately planned. Too many ideas or strategies can clutter the model and leave learners more confused.
2. Show it AND say it
Don't simply narrate your actions:
“Now I'm writing my next sentence.”
Make the thinking behind the action audible:
“I need my next sentence to support my reason. I'm going to reread what I've written before I decide what to add.”
Use first-person language:
“I'm noticing…”
“I'm choosing this because…”
“I'm confused, so…”
“I need to check…”
“That hasn't worked, so…”
This lets learners hear not only what strategy you use, but when and why you choose to use it.
3. Model the messy middle
Don't make expert performance look effortless.
Show learners how you notice and respond when something isn't working:
“Wait. That doesn't meet our success criteria. Let me go back.”
Model checking, reconsidering, correcting and changing strategies. Alert learners to common errors and show the thinking that helps you avoid or respond to them.
Success isn't getting everything right the first time. Successful learners notice, respond and adjust.
4. Activate the success criteria
Don't leave the success criteria sitting beside the model. Use them to make decisions.
“Our criteria say I need evidence to support my reason. I have the reason, but I can't see evidence yet. That's what I need to work on next.”
This shows learners how success criteria can help them monitor their progress and decide what to do next.
5. Keep it focused
More teacher talk does not mean better modelling.
Avoid narrating every action or modelling multiple strategies at once. Too much information can overload learners and hide the thinking that matters.
Pause. Zoom in. Make the important thinking visible. Move on.
6. Move from think-aloud to think-along
Learners shouldn't remain passive observers of expert thinking.
Gradually shift from:
Think aloud: “Listen to what I'm noticing and why I'm choosing this strategy.”
to:
Think along: “What should we be noticing here? What might we need to check?”
to:
Think independently: “What am I noticing? What strategy could I use? Is it working? What might I change?”
As learners become more capable, fade the modelling and increase their responsibility for noticing, choosing, checking and adjusting.
The goal isn't for learners to become better at copying what the educator does.
The goal is for learners to internalise the thinking, adapt it and activate it to make increasingly informed decisions about their own learning.
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