Reciprocal Teaching
Scaffolding student cognition during reading can enhance student achievement. Let's explore a Deep Learning, high-effect size instructional strategy as a way to assist students who don’t remember what they read, have little to no engagement with reading material, read at two or more years below grade level, struggle with non-fiction text, and can't differentiate between main idea and supporting details.
What Is It?
"A deep learning, instructional strategy which aims to foster better reading comprehension and to monitor students who struggle with comprehension. The Reciprocal Teaching strategy contains four steps:
- Clarifying, and
- Predicting
It is “reciprocal” in that students and the teacher take turns leading a dialogue about the text in question, asking questions following each of the four steps.
The teacher can model the four steps, then reduce her or his involvement so that students take the lead and are invited to go through the four steps after they read a segment of text. (Source: Visible Learning MetaX)
Why do we need it?
In the early years, students need time to read, not to do skills drills or reading “activities.” Schmoker points out that in the most effective reading classrooms, students “never, ever engage in cut, color, or paste activities that now occupy the majority of early-grade reading programs—more than 100 instructional hours per year.”
Students should be exposed to broad, wide reading of both fiction and nonfiction: “We learn to read well by reading a lot for meaning: to analyze or support arguments, to arrive at our own opinions as we make inferences or attempt to solve problems.”
Students should be involved in discussions at least three times per week, with established criteria to guide them
If your students face any or all of the following obstacles (adapted from ASCD Publication: Lori D. Oczkus’ Reciprocal Teaching At Work), reciprocal teaching may be what’s needed.
- Students don’t remember what they read, even when they can decode text
- Little to no engagement with reading material
- Students read at two or more years below grade level
- Informational text (non-fiction) is difficult to understand
- Challenging words are difficult to decipher
- Students may be unable to describe the difference between main idea and supporting details
As a result of reciprocal teaching technique’s effectiveness for over thirty years, it is worth adopting
Does It Work?
Looking for a comprehension technique that works across all content areas, media such as news, books, web, and video?
Reciprocal teaching, a research-based collection of strategies, has enjoyed long success (approx 36 years since a study* in 1984).
It consistently produces results of .74 growth per year. This effect size, measured by John Hattie’s meta-analyses in Visible Learning, accounts for almost two years growth in one year.
Across type of test (standardized, etc.), regardless of teacher, grade level, Reciprocal Teaching proved effective for all ages and situations.
*Note: COGNITION AND INSTRUCTION, 1984, I (2) 117-175 Copyright o 1984, LawrenceErlbaum Associates, Inc.
How Does It Work?
Source: North Central Comprehensive Center Reciprocal Teaching Curriculum Gateway at NCREL.org. Watch all their videos online.
Another Take:
Best Practices
When introducing RT to students, the following process can be helpful:
Teacher provides direct strategy instruction
Introduces, defines, and models the four strategies (summarizing, predicting, questioning and clarifying)
Students become actively involved
Teacher selects “reader-friendly” texts
Teacher leads students through interactive dialogue, providing specific wording to model
Students participate at their own levels, with teacher guidance and feedback
Teacher gradually relinquishes control to students
Students assume the role of teacher by taking turns leading their peers through the same types of dialogues in small collaborative reading groups discussing more complex texts that they have read independently
Teacher provides support on an as-needed basis only
Students eventually begin to internalize the strategies, so that they can use them independently in their own academic reading
The Reciprocal Teaching Treatment
Want to see dramatic results in your students? Use reciprocal teaching at least three times per week for three months.
The creators of the Reciprocal Teaching strategy, Ann Palincsar and Ann Brown (1984, 1986) for just 15-20 days, assessment of students’ reading comprehension increase from thirty percent to seventy to eighty percent.
All four strategies need to be used in each 15 to 30 minute session to obtain best results.
Web-based Reciprocal Teaching Resources
Use Flipgrid to have students model the different roles. Ask different students to play the role of Predictor, Clarifier, Questioner, Summarizer for a shared text, audio, or video.
Model the Fab Four for parents to guide students. Instead of trying to do all four roles, just ask them to take on the role of Predictor or Questioner.
Don't limit yourself, students, or parents to text alone. Use the resources shown right to access non-fiction, fiction.
Amazon Prime Video Free Family Titles: Whether you have Amazon Prime or not, a free Amazon account gets you and your child(ren) access to free family titles.
12-Story Learning: Offers their entire ebook collection for free.
ABDO Digital: ABDO's entire eBook collection is now available to students to access at home FREE.
Actively Learn: This is a digital curriculum platform for grades 6-12 ELA, SS, and Science. Our catalog includes over 3,000 texts, videos, and simulations that include embedded questions, scaffolding notes, and multimedia to support all learners. We also seamlessly integrate with Google Classroom.
Audible: Audible Stories is now offering, at no charge, a collection of audio stories. Stories are organized into a variety of categories.
Buncee Learning: Get free access to Buncee Classroom if you are in an affected area.
Listenwise is a web-based resource for three to six minute podcast lessons from non-fiction storytellers that include listening comprehension quizzes for your classroom.
Ranger Rick Magazine: Need some exciting reading material? One of my childhood favorites was the Ranger Rick Magazine. They are offering three months of free access to all games, jokes, videos, awesome animal articles. This offer is good through June 30, 2020. Sign up online.
Ready to Introduce Reciprocal Teaching?
Get into small groups of five or six people each. Each person assumes one of the following roles:
Lead Speaker - Introduces the Fab Four group, and explains and discusses (like a news broadcaster) what we will be seeing to the Videographer
Predictor - Predicts what will happen in the reading
Questioner - Asks questions about the reading
Clarifier - Clarifies answers and vocabulary
Summarizer - Summarizes the reading
Videographer - Uses the Flipgrid app on a smartphone to capture the lead speaker and Fab Four modeling
Content To Practice Reciprocal Teaching On
Explore Reciprocal Teaching in Content Areas
