🎓 Teacher Modelling
শিশুরা শেখার জন্য কথা বলতে শেখে, বড়দের উচ্চস্বরে চিন্তা করার মাধ্যমে।
1️⃣ A Warm Introduction
In every Early Years classroom, the teacher’s voice is the most powerful tool for learning — not because it gives information, but because it shows how to think. When teachers narrate, explain, or wonder aloud, they make invisible thinking visible.
Children watch, listen, and imitate. They learn that talk isn’t only for answers — it’s for curiosity, planning, and problem-solving. This page explores how teachers can model thinking and language every day, turning their own words into a living example of learning.
2️⃣ Key Ideas and Evidence
🧠 Learning Through Hearing Thinking
From the earliest years, children copy not just what adults say, but কিভাবে they say it — the patterns of reasoning, curiosity, and reflection in their speech. Research on “teacher talk” shows that classrooms with more rich, explanatory language produce stronger vocabulary and comprehension outcomes.
When teachers “think aloud” (“I wonder if this block will fit… Maybe I need a bigger one”) they model the structure of thought itself. Psychologist Lev Vygotsky described this as a bridge: the teacher’s external talk gradually becomes the child’s inner speech — the voice they later use to guide their own learning.
💬 From Talking এ to Talking With
Traditional classrooms often centre on the teacher’s voice — explaining, questioning, correcting. But modelling means using that voice differently: not to dominate, but to demonstrate.
Instead of asking “What colour is this?” the teacher might say,
“I think it’s red… but it looks a bit orange in the sunlight. What do you think?”
The teacher is no longer the examiner, but a co-thinker, showing that exploring ideas aloud is part of learning. Studies of effective Early Years practice — from England’s EEF trials to UNICEF’s child-centred pedagogy work in South Asia — show that this shift from instruction to interaction increases children’s talk and independence.
🎯 Modelling as Emotional Language
Children also learn how to express feelings by hearing teachers put emotions into words. When a teacher says,
“I feel disappointed that the paint spilled, but we can clean it and start again,”
they model emotional vocabulary, self-regulation, and calm problem-solving — skills just as vital as literacy.
In crowded or noisy classrooms, calm teacher talk helps create a tone of safety. Over time, children start to imitate this emotional steadiness in their own speech.
3️⃣ What This Means for Teachers in Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, Early Years teachers often balance structure and spontaneity — guiding large groups while keeping a joyful atmosphere. Modelling works beautifully in this setting because it requires no materials, just intentional use of your own voice.
🧩 Small Things, Big Impact
| Teaching Moment | How to Model Thinking Out Loud |
|---|---|
| Play time | “I’m stacking the big blocks first… I think that will make it stronger.” |
| Story time | “Hmm… I wonder why the tiger was angry. What do you think?” |
| Art time | “I mixed red and yellow — wow, it made orange! I didn’t expect that.” |
| Problem-solving | “We have only one ball. How can we make sure everyone gets a turn?” |
| Behaviour moment | “I feel frustrated when we can’t hear each other. Let’s try one at a time.” |
Each of these moments turns the teacher’s voice into a tool for reasoning, vocabulary, and emotional literacy.
🧪 Active Ingredients: What Makes Teacher Modelling Work
| উপাদান | কেন এটা গুরুত্বপূর্ণ |
|---|---|
| Transparency | Children can’t see thinking — so narrating your process teaches them what thinking sounds like. |
| Curiosity | Wondering aloud (“I’m not sure… let’s find out”) shows that teachers learn too. |
| Parallel talk | Describing what the child is doing (“You’re pouring carefully”) reinforces vocabulary and focus. |
| Warm correction | Recast errors positively: “Yes, you went to the shop — that’s right.” |
| Shared reflection | End activities with “What did we learn? What surprised us?” to normalise reflective talk. |
“Before, I explained everything. Now I talk like we’re exploring together — they talk more when I stop giving answers.” – Teacher, BRAC Play Lab, Rangpur
👩🏫 Real-Life Example: Rahima’s Science Corner
Setting NGO-run preschool, Gazipur শিক্ষক Rahima Khatun, teaching 4–5-year-olds
Rahima used to tell children what to do in activities: “Put water here, pour there.” But she noticed they copied without thinking. After a local training on oracy, she tried teacher modelling — narrating her thought process aloud.
During a water experiment, she said:
“I think this sponge will soak up more water than the cloth. Why? Hmm… maybe because it has tiny holes.”
Children immediately began copying her phrasing:
“I think the paper will break.”
“I think the cup is full.”
Rahima smiled. “They became little scientists.”
Later, she realised modelling also helped behaviour. When a child knocked over a cup and looked scared, she calmly said:
“Oh, it fell. I feel a bit sad — but we can clean it and try again.”
Soon children started saying, “It’s okay, we can fix it!” to each other.
- Narrating her own actions clearly
- Using “I think…” and “Maybe…” to invite ideas
- Pausing to let children echo her language
- Remembering to talk কম and wait
- Avoiding turning every moment into a “mini lesson”
Impact: Children now use reasoning words like “because,” “if,” and “maybe.” Rahima says,
“I didn’t need new materials. I just needed to share my thinking aloud.”
4️⃣ 🌱 Summary Box
Children learn how to think by hearing teachers think aloud.
When we model curiosity, calmness, and reasoning, we show children what learning sounds like — and how language can solve problems.
🌾 Your voice is their first model for how to reason, reflect, and recover from mistakes.
