OVERVIEW OF RECIPROCAL TEACHING

Reciprocal teaching has been shown to improve students’ text comprehension through scaffolded instruction of four comprehension-fostering and monitoring skills: summarizing parts of the text, generating one’s own questions, clarifying ambiguities, and predicting what might come next in the text. Teachers model the four skills, and then facilitate students to guide their own group discussions using the four skills. As students become more proficient in group discussions, teacher involvement decreases (Palincsar & Brown, 1984).

This constructivist teaching strategy actively involves students because they have to think about their own thought process during reading and monitor their comprehension. Research shows reciprocal teaching internalizes the strategies skilled readers use and promotes reading comprehension as measured on standardized reading tests (Bruer, 1993).

Studies also show reading improvement is maintained over time (Brown & Palincsar, 1987).

Watch the Paul the Predictor, Slide 37 video (7.38 minutes). See how the instructor models making a prediction with her students. She begins with a concrete item (grocery bag) tapping into background information that most if not all students will be able to access.  She then moves to a text and models for students the use of first the cover and then illustrations to make predictions.

Do you see how the instructor helps students use text to connect to the book rather than previous personal experiences? Note: The book is Zipping, Zapping, Zooming Bats by Ann Earle (HarperCollins Children’s Books)