One strategy to help learners understand a particular concept is to systematically describe the salient features of that concept. Asking oneself a series of questions provides that individual with a system for how to understand the concept. Some sample questions might be as follows:

• What does it look, smell, taste, and/or feel like?
• What is it made out of it?
• Where does it come from?
• Where can it be found?
• What does it do?
• How is it used?
• What else do we know about it?

These questions can also be paired with colors, icons, and tactile symbols (like beads, 3D printed objects, or other materials) to provide a multimodal experience to help learners remember what to ask themselves. Placing the symbols in order, such as on a string or dowel, helps organize thinking into sequence helping to improve recall.

Watch the short video below to learn about one example of the implementation of this type of strategy.