Interactive Modeling In Action

In this Responsive Classroom Newsletter article, Margaret Berry Wilson outlines the seven steps of interactive modeling from her book of that title, applied to a lesson on 

paraphrasing a research source:

• Say what you will model and why. The teacher explains, “When we use books in our research, we can use the facts in them, but we can’t copy what the authors have written word for word. We have to write in our own words.” 

• Model the behavior. On the interactive whiteboard, the teacher displays a paragraph from a research source, reads it out loud, and then switches to a notecard screen and thinks out loud as she records key facts she remembers.

• Ask students what they noticed. The teacher draws students out on specific things they saw her doing as she paraphrased the source.

• Invite one or more students to model. The teacher chooses a student, displays a new source text, switches to the notecard setting, and has the student paraphrase key facts.

• Again, ask students what they noticed. Students volunteer what they saw – for example, that the student looked away from the paragraph while he wrote and that he wrote short sentences with just the facts.

• Have all students practice. The teacher displays a new paragraph and all students attempt a paraphrase.

• Provide feedback. The teacher circulates, providing on-the-spot coaching to students who need it. After another round of practice, feedback, and reinforcement, she sends students off to work on their own source materials and continues to check on their progress.

“Interactive Modeling for Academic Success” by Margaret Berry Wilson in Responsive Classroom Newsletter, Winter 2013 (p. 1-3), www.responsiveclassroom.org/interactive-modeling (this link has several classroom videos)

From the Marshall Memo #469