Reciprocal Learning

Description

Reciprocal Teaching is at its core, a coaching strategy. Students pair up and take turns coaching one another as they work through problems, questions, or tasks. While one student is taking on the role of player the other is the coach and encourages, praises, and provides feedback to the player. After the first round is complete, students switch roles and the process continues. Key to an effective implementation of Reciprocal Teaching is providing the right resources to coaches. Coaches should be provided with hints, or an answer key to support accurate feedback when working with their partner. Upon completion of the activity, partners reflect on the process with one another.

Why it works...

Reciprocal Teaching leverages the 21st century skills of collaboration, communication, and critical thinking. Not only that, but it helps students model positive interactions and soft skills when working together.

How to plan it...

1. Break students into pairs and tell them that they will take turns being coaches and players.
2. Provide one student in the group with one set of items (questions, problems, etc.) and the other student with another. If applicable, a set of hints for each set of item may be provided to support the coach as they support the player.
3. Students take turns being the coach and the player. The player works through each item in the set, talking through their thinking, as the coach encourages and corrects the player. Once the first set has been completed, students switch roles and repeat the process.
4. Once both partners have completed their sets, provide one additional task or set of tasks to each pair for them to work through collaboratively.
5. Debrief the activity with the entire class.

Tech integration...

Although it may be uncomfortable and may cause pause for many teachers, encouraging students to record themselves working with a coach is an effective technology integration practice for this strategy. If video is not an option for a pair of students, consider allowing them to make an audio recording of their coaching time. Listening to or watching a recording of a Reciprocal Teaching session can provide students an additional exposure to the problem or task and help them improve as coaches moving forward.