Reciprocal Teaching
Reciprocal Teaching
Palincsar (1986) describes the concept of reciprocal teaching:
"Definition: Reciprocal teaching refers to an
instructional activity that takes place in the form of a dialogue between
teachers and students regarding segments of text. The dialogue is structured by
the use of four strategies: summarizing, question generating, clarifying, and
predicting. The teacher and students take turns assuming the role of teacher in
leading this dialogue.
Purpose: The purpose of reciprocal teaching is to
facilitate a group effort between teacher and students as well as among
students in the task of bringing meaning to the text. Each strategy was
selected for the following purpose:
· Summarizing provides
the opportunity to identify and integrate the most important information in the
text. Text can be summarized across sentences, across paragraphs, and across
the passage as a whole. When the students first begin the reciprocal teaching
procedure, their efforts are generally focused at the sentence and paragraph
levels. As they become more proficient, they are able to integrate at the
paragraph and passage levels.
· Question
generating reinforces the summarizing strategy and carries the learner one
more step along in the comprehension activity. When students generate
questions, they first identify the kind of information that is significant
enough to provide the substance for a question. They then pose this information
in question form and self-test to ascertain that they can indeed answer their
own question. Question generating is a flexible strategy to the extent that
students can be taught and encouraged to generate questions at many levels. For
example, some school situations require that students master supporting detail
information; others require that the students be able to infer or apply new
information from text.
· Clarifying is an
activity that is particularly important when working with students who have a
history of comprehension difficulty. These students may believe that the
purpose of reading is saying the words correctly; they may not be particularly
uncomfortable that the words, and in fact the passage, are not making sense.
When the students are asked to clarify, their attention is called to the fact
that there may be many reasons why text is difficult to understand (e.g., new
vocabulary, unclear reference words, and unfamiliar and perhaps difficult
concepts). They are taught to be alert to the effects of such impediments to
comprehension and to take the necessary measures to restore meaning (e.g.,
reread, ask for help).
· Predicting occurs
when students hypothesize what the author will discuss next in the text. In
order to do this successfully, students must activate the relevant background
knowledge that they already possess regarding the topic. The students have a
purpose for reading: to confirm or disprove their hypotheses. Furthermore, the
opportunity has been created for the students to link the new knowledge they
will encounter in the text with the knowledge they already possess. The
predicting strategy also facilitates use of text structure as students learn
that headings, subheadings, and questions imbedded in the text are useful means
of anticipating what might occur next.
In summary, each of these strategies was selected as a means of
aiding students to construct meaning from text as well as a means of monitoring
their reading to ensure that they are in fact understanding what they read.
Research Base: For the past five years, Palincsar and Brown
(1985) have conducted a series of studies to determine the effectiveness of
reciprocal teaching. The initial studies were conducted by adult tutors working
with middle school students in pairs and by Chapter 1 teachers working with
their small reading groups averaging five in number. The students were
identified to be fairly adequate decoders but very poor comprehenders,
typically performing at least two years below grade level on standardized
measures of comprehension. Instruction took place over a period of 20
consecutive school days. The effectiveness was evaluated by having the students
read passages about 450 to 500 words in length and answer 10 comprehension
questions from recall. The students completed five of these passages before
reciprocal teaching instruction began and one during each day of instruction.
Performance on these assessment passages indicated that all but one of the experimental
students achieved criterion performance, which we identified as 70 percent
accuracy for four out of five consecutive days.
These results were in contrast to the group of control students,
none of whom achieved criterion performance. In addition, qualitative changes
were observed in the dialogue that occurred daily. For example, the
experimental students functioned more independently of the teachers and
improved the quality of their summaries over time. In addition, students'
ability to write summaries, predict the kinds of questions teachers and tests
ask, and detect incongruities in text improved. Finally, these improvements
were reflected in the regular classroom as the experimental students'
percentile rankings went from 20 to 50 and above on texts administered in
social studies and science classes.
When the same instructional procedure was implemented in larger
classes with groups ranging in size from 8 to 18, 71 percent of the students
achieved criterion performance as opposed to 19 percent of the control students
who were involved in individualized skill instruction. Furthermore, teachers
observed fewer behavior problems in their reciprocal teaching groups than in
their control groups." (pp. 19-20)
CHARACTERISTICS OF
REFLECTIVE FEEDBACK
·
promotes
reflection as part of a dialog between the giver and receiver of
feedback. Both parties are involved in observing, thinking, reporting, and
responding.
·
focuses
on observed behavior rather than on the person. Refers to what an
individual does rather than to what we think s/he is.
·
is
descriptive rather than judgmental. Avoiding judgmental language reduces
the need for an individual to respond defensively.
·
is
specific rather than general.
·
promotes
reflection about strategies and the students' or observer's responses to
a specific strategy.
·
is
directed toward behavior which the receiver can change.
·
considers
the needs of both the receiver and giver of feedback.
·
is
solicited rather than imposed. Feedback is most useful when the receiver
actively seeks feedback and is able to discuss it in a supportive environment.
·
is
well-timed. In general, feedback is most useful at the earliest
opportunity after the given behavior.
·
involves
sharing information rather than giving advice, leaving the individual
free to change in accordance with personal goals and needs.
·
considers
the amount of information the receiver can use rather than the amount
the observer would like to give. Overloading an individual with feedback
reduces the likelihood that the information will be used effectively.
·
requires
a supportive, confidential relationship built on trust, honesty, and
genuine concern.
(adapted by McEnerney
& Webb from Bergquist and Phillips, 1975)
Taken from:
Building Community
through Peer Observation
American Association
for Higher Education, Forum on Faculty Roles and Rewards
San Diego, CA,
January 18, 1997
Kathleen McEnerney,
CSU, Dominguez Hills
Mary J. Allen, CSU,
Bakersfield
Ethelynda Harding,
CSU, Fresno
Cynthia Desrochers,
CSU, Northridge
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