Using Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) Out in the Field
Johanna Stadtmauer
One of my favorite instructional strategies that I used at my pediatric clinical field placement (an integrated preschool program for children ages 3-5) was the think-alouds. According to Gold & Gibson (2018), “thinking aloud helps children learn how to use comprehension strategies that are important when reading independently” (p. 1) What I love about think-alouds is that one can still target a variety of the student’s goals while still keeping the flow of a group session. The clinician models how to make connections via verbal prompts like “I see…” or “I think”. Further, the clinician can provide extra scaffolding in order to have the students share their own ideas. For my little students that were not yet reading, I would model this strategy before, during, and after we read a book filled with rich vocabulary and illustrations!
One of my group sessions included a 3.5 year-old English language learner, 4.5 year old with Social Pragmatic Communication Disorder, and 4 year-old with autism. When we read the book “Snowmen at Night” (Buehner & Buehner, 2018), the children’s responses were clearly shaped by their prior knowledge and exposure to certain activities surrounding winter. Perhaps, it was the first time that some of my students were exposed to some of the activities that the snowmen did (e.g., playing baseball, having a snowball fighting, ice-skating, etc.).
One child had experienced ice-skating and provided it as an example, making a text-to-self connection. Another child pointed at the hot chocolate and said a word in his native language—even though I don’t speak Spanish, I could tell he was making his own connections! I was smiling inside and out! I used that moment as an opportunity for him to share about his experience and as a result, facilitated some of the pragmatic language goals that needed to be addressed. I could go on and on…but you can see how this strategy does wonders! Think-alouds were especially helpful in these group sessions, in which I had children with different diagnoses and/or different cultural backgrounds.
Our experiences are shaped by our culture, traditions and values. Being inter-culturally aware is a skill that we constantly need to exercise in the CSD field! Think-alouds can be a useful pathway to make connections with our students. Don’t shy away from those “cultural moments”. Instead, use them to build upon the student’s goals and create a welcoming open space for children to learn and share their own experiences. For more on think-alouds, check out Reading Rockets.
Buehner, C., & Buehner, M. (2018). Snowmen at night. New York, NY: Dial Books for Young Readers
