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Research School Network: Live Modelling with Think-Aloud Live modelling, or “thinking out loud” as you demonstrate, helps students see an expert’s approach to a task in real time.
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Live Modelling with Think-Aloud
Live modelling, or “thinking out loud” as you demonstrate, helps students see an expert’s approach to a task in real time.
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by Shotton Hall Research School
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Helping students become more independent isn’t just about letting them figure things out alone — it’s about giving them the right tools to tackle challenges confidently. By using effective teaching strategies, we can reduce confusion and guide students to gradually take charge of their learning. In this blog English Teacher Nasreen Begum from the Academy at Shotton Hall shares the second of three powerful strategies teachers can use to boost student independence in the classroom.
Live modelling, or “thinking out loud” as you demonstrate, helps students see an expert’s approach to a task in real time. This strategy goes beyond simply showing steps; it’s about making the thought process behind each step visible. By voicing what you’re doing and why it matters, you let students hear the logic that guides each choice, making it easier for them to think in similar ways.
Let’s say you’re working on crafting an analytical paragraph. You might use sentence starters to model how you pull ideas together. Below, are sentence stems to live model an analytical paragraph:
The teacher can work through each sentence stem, demonstrating how to complete the analytical paragraph by explaining their thought process. Below are some examples of this:
“Right, I must use two adjectives to describe Benedick here. I will refer to my quotation analysis to ensure I use relevant adjectives.”
“Okay, now I need a quotation. I need to go back to my quotation analysis and copy the quotation I analysed. I’m going to check to see I have accurately copied the quotation before moving on.”
“The next step involves making inferences. I need to start by selecting a key word or phrase I want to analyse and identify the method. Let me look at my quotation analysis. I can see that “like a man at a mark” is a simile in my quotation analysis so I will write that as my method before writing the phrase as my evidence. I need to make sure I use quotation marks here as these are words from the extract.”
“I have a list of connotations in my quotation analysis. I will choose at least two that I can use to develop my inferences. I need to make sure my connotations and inferences are clear and well explained.”
“I can analyse a different key word or phrase now from the same quotation. I’m going to refer to my quotation analysis again here.”
“I need to consider Shakespeare’s intentions as my final step. I should refer to my quotation analysis again to help and my statement to make sure what I write is relevant and linked.”
When students watch a task being completed and hear the reasoning, they get a sense of the strategies and thought processes involved. Even more, seeing you tackle complex tasks can boost their belief that they too can succeed. Over time, students start independently, feeling more prepared and confident to apply similar approaches.
Found this useful? In my next blog I’ll be looking at how fading guidance can support your pupils.
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