Those of you who read this blog regularly will recognize that I feel it’s very important for kids to be aware of why they are working on their word finding, and how it can help them communicate in school, at home, and with their friends. Learning metalinguistic strategies helps them apply their improved word finding skills to a variety of contexts. In that vein, I want to pass on an interesting article about how “thinking routines” help kids (and adults) learn to think more deeply and with real understanding.
At a Learning and the Brain conference, Ron Ritchhart, senior research associate at Project Zero at Harvard University (http://www.pz.harvard.edu/who-we-are/people/ron-ritchhart), stated, “When we have a rich meta-strategic base for our thinking, that helps us to be more independent learners.” Project Zero teaches a thinking routine they call “See, Think, Wonder”. The idea is to use a simple, easy to remember metalinguistic process that learners can apply to all their learning. The thinking routine becomes a habit that promotes deeper learning across the board.
Here’s the link http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2016/03/31/when-kids-have-structure-for-thinking-better-learning-emerges/
http://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2016/03/31/when-kids-have-structure-for-thinking-better-learning-emerges/
Let’s apply this to word retrieval. When kids internalize a process of “anchoring” their words in their memory, they develop a habit of consciously supporting the retrieval of a word in the future. Their metalinguistic skills send the message, “I am deliberately thinking about this word and I will be able to ‘find’ it in my brain at a later time.”
Teach a word finding “thinking routine.” Practice the word ALOUD, reinforce each syllable, and use a “word finding 5” (A word finding 5: Say the word aloud 5 times, create an original meaningful sentence, and get a ‘high 5’). Here is the link to the entire process: https://www.wordfindingforkids.com/an-endorsement-from-the-word-finding-guru/
SEE, THINK, WONDER, RETRIEVE!