Intel® Teach Program Designing Effective Projects

Designing Effective Projects: Cooperative Learning Reciprocal Teaching

Reciprocal Teaching Strategy Reciprocal teaching (Palincsar, 1984) is a cooperative grouping strategy that calls on students to become “the teacher” and work as a group to bring meaning to text. Teachers and students engage in dialogue regarding segments of text. The dialogue is structured by using four strategies:

Summarizing Question generating Clarifying Predicting

It is important that each of the above strategies has been taught and practiced before reciprocal teaching takes place. The stages of reciprocal teaching are easy to set up. Stages of Reciprocal Teaching Set-Up The teacher hands out a passage of text to each student in the group. Each student reads the passage and writes summarizing, clarifying, or predicting questions related to what they’ve read. The “teacher” of the group, asks one of the questions. The “teacher” is the lead group member who starts off the questioning. One group member responds, using the text to support their answer. The student, who answers the question, then asks a question and the process repeats.

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Intel® Teach Program Designing Effective Projects

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Stages of Reciprocal Teaching

Teacher Modeling

Teacher models and explains the four strategies: summarizing,

question generating,

clarifying, and predicting.

Student Practice Students practice the four strategies and

receive feedback from the teacher.

Teacher-Student Groups

Teacher leads discussion with students in small groups. Students take turns leading and practicing the strategies while getting teacher feedback.

Student Groups

Students take turns leading the discussion by using the four strategies in small groups. The teacher observes progress and offers feedback.

Adapted from: http://condor.admin.ccny.cuny.edu/~yq6048/*

References Palincsar, A.S. & Brown, A. L. (1984). Reciprocal teaching of comprehension-fostering and comprehension-monitoring activities. Cognition and Instruction, 1(2), 117-175

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