Modeling
Teacher modeling is an opportunity for teachers to show and demonstrate what it is they want students to learn. The purpose of modeling is to provide students with a clear understanding of expectation for their learning. It shows them what the competency looks like.
Modeling is teaching by example. Many students need to see examples in order to conceptualize what they are learning.
With modeling there is an "I do," piece where the teacher briefly demonstrates the competency, a "we do," where the students work on the competency together, and a "you do," where each individual works on the competency. Through this guided practice the teacher ensures that the students do not practice errors. Independent practice is offered only after students understand the concepts and can demonstrate the competency.
Through modeling a teacher can illustrate many different ways to solve a particular problem. Students can then be encouraged to think of solutions on their own. In this way, modeling can build the metacognitive skills that create lifelong learners.
How to think is perhaps the most important thing that a teacher can model. Earlier in this module we mentioned that metacognition is an instructional principle that informs students about the thought process and how to learn new information. You model this through a think aloud where you provide students with an example of how they should think about their thinking.
In addition to modeling how to think, analyze, and evaluate information to provide the correct solution, a teacher can also model mistakes in thinking. For example, the teacher could evaluate some information, and then point out that his or her conclusion, which may have seemed logical, is not quite right. The teacher could then model how to properly analyze the facts and provide the correct answer.
Modeling is a teacher-centered approach to learning that involves the teacher demonstrating specific behaviors, language, and actions. Students can also get into the act through simulation.