Constructivism in learning is a technique in which students build up knowledge rather than acquire it from the source. They reflect on the given information and construct their assumptions and associations. The think-aloud approach helps people monitor their thoughts by thinking out loud. The think-aloud process slows the process of acquiring information, allowing the user to understand it more comprehensively.
The process of thinking out loud increases the user’s engagement with the given task, as they talk their thoughts out and clearly understand the task. The process emphasizes students’ short-term memory and the approach they are using. Think-aloud is a crucial part of constructivist learning as students express their thoughts and their representation of the task to teachers and get feedback (Cowan, 2017). Moreover, the problem-solving skills could be improved by a think-aloud strategy. By verbalizing their thoughts, students could plan their problem-solving steps. The verbalization of thoughts in this technique allows teachers to understand children’s cognitive abilities, for instance, in solving mathematical tasks. Observation of children’s cognitive thinking could help teachers emphasize the lacking sides and enhance the positive aspects (Ramachandran et al., 2022). Think-aloud strategy can massively enhance the reading part of the learning. By implementing this method, students may face the phases of forethought of a paper, monitor their thoughts during the process, gain better control, and properly reflect on the topic. Further, they can gain more control over their cognitive thinking and better understand the context by using think-aloud during reading (Hu & Gao, 2017).
The strategy of thinking aloud helps to build constructivist learning in a classroom, as it focuses on the quality of thoughts, allowing the student to comprehend the task better. Better comprehension leads to better visualization and associations of the tasks.
References
Cowan, J. (2017). The potential of cognitive think-aloud protocols for educational action-research. Active Learning in Higher Education, 20(3), 219-232.
Hu, J., & Gao, X. (2017). Using think-aloud protocol in self-regulated reading research. Educational Research Review, 22, 181-193.
Ramachandran, A., Huang, C., Gartland, E., & Scassellati, B. (2022). Thinking aloud with a tutoring robot to enhance learning. Proceedings of The 2018 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction, 18, 59-68.