Reciprocal Teaching

Steps

1. Scaffold student learning by modelling, guiding and applying the strategies while reading. Read a section of the text aloud and model the four steps – summarising, clarifying, questioning and predicting (*predicting could be optional depending on the material).
2. In groups of four allocate a role to each student i.e. summariser, questioner, clarifier and predictor.
3. Have students read a few paragraphs of a text selection. Suggest to students they use notetaking strategies such as underlining, coding, etc.
4. The predictor helps the group connect sections of the text by reviewing predictions from the previous section and helps the group predict what they will read about next by using clues and inferences in the text. The questioner helps the group to ask and answer questions about the text and reminds the group to use all types of questions (higher and lower order). The summariser restates the main ideas in the text and helps the group state the main idea or ideas in their own words. The clarifier helps the group find parts of the reading that are not clear and finds ways to clear up these difficulties.
5. Roles in the group switch and the next selection of text is read. Students repeat the process in their new role. Repeat this process until text/topic selection is finished.

Benefits

• It encourages students to think about their own thought process during reading.
• It helps students learn to be actively involved and monitor their comprehension as they read.
• It teaches students to ask questions during reading and helps make the text more comprehensible.