SIM involves six main steps:
  1. Pretest learners and encourage them to become interested in learning the strategy. Practitioners should determine how much the learners might already know about using the strategy and secure their commitment to learning the strategy from top to bottom. It is important to explain to the learners what strategy they are going to learn and how it can help them in skills development.
  2. Describe the strategy. Give a clear explanation of the strategy, the various steps, as well as some of the benefits to learning the strategy. Identify real assignments or tasks where the learners can apply the strategy. Ask learners if they can think of other work where the strategy might be useful.
  3. Model the strategy. Modeling the strategy for learners is an essential component of strategy instruction. In this stage, practitioners use the strategy to help them demonstrate a relevant classroom assignment or authentic task. Practitioners should talk aloud as they work so that learners can observe how a person thinks and what a person does while using the strategy, including: deciding which strategy to use to perform the task at hand, working through the task using that strategy, monitoring performance (i.e. is the strategy being applied correctly, and is it helping the learner complete the work well?), revising one's strategic approach, and making positive self-statements.
  4. Practice the strategy. Provide repeated opportunities to practice the strategy. The more learners and practitioners work together to use the strategy, the more the learners will internalize the strategy. Initial practice may be largely practitioner-directed, with practitioners continuing to model appropriate ways of thinking about the task at hand and deciding (with increasing student direction) which strategy or action is needed to work through whatever problems arise in completing the task.
  5. Provide feedback. Providing feedback to learners on their strategy use is a critical part of helping them learn how to use a strategy effectively and how to change what they are doing when a particular approach is not working. Much of the feedback can be offered as learners become involved in thinking aloud about the task and about strategy use during the modeling and practice steps described above. It is also important to provide opportunities for students to reflect upon their approaches to, and completion of, the task. What aspects of the task did they complete well? What aspects were difficult? Did any problems arise, and what did they do to solve the problems? What might they do differently the next time they have to complete a similar task? It may be valuable to incorporate these questions into a self-evaluation checklist for the learners' reference.