Implementing Cognitive Strategy Instruction

Stage 1: Develop and Activate Background KnowledgeStruggling learners may lack essential background knowledge or preskills necessary to successfully complete a task or use a strategy.The best way to identify the basic terms and skills necessary for the strategy is to do a task analysis. The task analysis will help teachers to determine whether or not students possess the prerequisite skills necessary perform the strategy.




Stage 2: Discuss the StrategyTeachers will need to "sell" the strategy and get students to "buy in."

During this stage it is appropriate for the teachers to explain the benefits of using the strategy; discussing and even providing examples of current performance. Teachers should ask students questions, and ask them how confident they feel in the particular subject or skill being discussed. Then explain how learning the strategy can improve their performance.





Stage 3: Model the StrategyPurpose of modeling is to expose students to the thought processes of a skilled learner. Good modeling goes well beyond merely presenting the steps in a strategy. It provides students with the "why" and "how" of various strategy steps. It also demonstrates that student effort is essential, and shows that strategy use results in better performance.
By modeling, a teacher can show not only what to do, but what to think as well. This process is called a 'think aloud'.






Stage 4: Memorize the StrategyMemorizing the steps is crucial, because we want students to be able to focus on the task not on remembering the steps of the strategy. Students have a limited amount of cognitive processing capacity, and if that capacity is consumed with remembering the steps of the strategy it will be difficult or impossible to focus on the task itself.
A teacher could use different activities or games to teach memorization of the strategy: for example, they could use round-robin activities or a ball-toss game.




Stage 5: Support the StrategyTeachers and students work together to master the performance of a strategy. Teachers need to be aware of the child's capabilities and their needs in order to achieve an improved level of performance.
Supporting the strategy may include:
Working collaboratively on tasks while gradually fading help
Putting students into small groups
Remodeling the strategy



Stage 6: Independent PerformanceIndependent performance does not mean that a teacher's job is done. Teachers must still monitor students' use of the strategy to ensure they are using the strategy properly.