teachers can ask
students to complete a language task, and then lead a classroom discussion about how students
completed the task and point out the learning strategies that students mention. Teachers could also
develop a questionnaire appropriate for the age and proficiency level of their students and have
students complete it immediately after completing a task. For a more global picture of their students’
learning strategies in general, teachers might want to use the SILL. When strategy instruction
is underway and students show evidence that they understand and are using some of the
strategies independently, teachers could ask them to keep a diary or journal about their use of
strategies in the language class and in other contexts, thus encouraging transfer. Teachers can
make their own thinking public by “thinking aloud” as they work on a task familiar to students,
commenting on their own learning strategies as they go. All of these approaches can help students
develop their own metacognition about themselves as strategic learners