Reciprocal Teaching

Reading strategy

Reciprocal teaching

Purpose:

Reciprocal teaching is an activity which helps learners to extract ideas and information from a text in order to gain meaning. “It is structured discussion, based on four strategies: questioning, summarising, clarifying and predicting” (Palinscar 1987, pp.56-60).

Reciprocal teaching enables:

  • learners to participate in discussion of texts;
  • learners to practise oral skills of questioning, summarising, clarifying and predicting;
  • a focus on discussion and critical thinking;
  • discussions to be adjusted to suit learners’ needs;
  • younger learners to learn the skills of reading to learn;
  • older learners to learn study skills
  • a focus on other areas of the text, e.g. organisation and cohesion as well as content; and
  • its use as an aid in the assessment of learners’ reading comprehension skills.

 

It may take a few sessions before learners need to be familiar with the process and have a good knowledge & understanding of questioning and summarising techniques. Reciprocal teaching works very well in small groups.

 

Procedure:

1.   Read

The text is presented on the board or OHT. The teacher (or a student if the students are working in groups) reads part of the chosen text.

 

2.   Question:

A learner (or the group leader) volunteers to be “teacher” and asks questions of the other learners. The learner must pose questions about the text they have just heard. These questions should be about the main idea in the text.

 

3.  Summarise:

The “teacher” learner (or group leader) is then asked to summarise what has been read.

 

4.  Clarify:

The teacher (or group leader) asks learners for any clarifications the may need. Other learners are encouraged to help in clarification. Reluctant learners can be asked to pick out information they think younger learners may have difficulty with rather than focus on their own lack of understanding.

 

5.  Predict

The teacher (or group leader) asks for predictions about content in the next part of the text to be read. The teacher (or group leader) should encourage learners to use different sources of information within the text to predict, e.g. title, organisation of text.

 

After a reciprocal teaching session a three level guide is a useful “follow-up” comprehension activity. (See notes)