What strategy helps students articulate their thought processes?

Think-alouds are a highly effective strategy for helping students articulate their thought processes. This approach involves a teacher or a student verbalizing their thought process while working through a task or problem. By doing so, it allows both the speaker and the listeners to gain insight into the reasoning behind certain decisions, strategies, and problem-solving techniques.

When students engage in think-alouds, they practice articulating their thoughts in a structured way, which reinforces their understanding of the material as well as their metacognitive skills—thinking about their own thinking. It also opens avenues for peer learning, as students can learn from each other’s approaches and perspectives, leading to a deeper comprehension of complex concepts.

In contrast, while mind mapping can be useful for organizing thoughts visually, it does not specifically focus on verbal articulation of those thoughts. Group discussions can promote articulation but may lead to some students not fully expressing their individual thought processes due to social dynamics. Standardized testing does not provide a platform for students to express their thoughts verbally, as it primarily assesses knowledge in a structured, often restrictive format. Thus, think-alouds stand out as the most effective strategy for promoting verbal articulation of thought processes.