Implementing Reciprocal Teaching in the Classroom: Overcoming Obstacles and Making Modifications

1. Implementing Reciprocal Teaching in the Classroom: Overcoming Obstacles and Making Modifications By: Douglas J. Hacker and Arnette Tenent Presented By: Jason Yano Laura Robles Rocio Codesal

2. Definition of Terms • Reciprocal Teaching: instructional procedure in which small groups of students learn to improve their reading comprehension through predicting, clarifying, questioning, and summarizing. • High-quality dialogue: student interactions which are not constrained and go deeper than a superficial level. • Methodological triangulation: the application and combination of several research methodologies in the study of the same phenomenon.

3. Purpose • To investigate and improve the effectiveness of teachers’ implementation and practice of Reciprocal Teaching (RT).

4. Methodology • Qualitative study of 17 classrooms in two urban elementary schools (K-6) over three years. • Data collection included classroom observations, surveys, and students’ scores on the District’s Comprehensive Test of Basic Skills. • Data was analyzed at the end of each year and modifications were applied to Traditional RT for the following year.

5. Methodology (cont.) • D.J.H. instructed teachers how to use RT. • Teachers modeled RT in their classrooms. • D.J.H monitored the classroom practice of RT. • Teachers consulted with D.J.H concerning their practice. • Obstacles encountered in strategy, scaffolding, and dialogue were recorded and modifications made for the following year.

6. Findings • Traditional RT was not effective in all classrooms. • Majority of teachers found that adding at least a small whole-class component to RT was beneficial to students as well as a writing component. • Between-grade ability grouping was found to be more productive. • Of the four strategies questioning played the most dominant role. • Students had trouble reaching high-level dialogue which hindered their understanding of texts in deeper levels. • Scaffolding was not reduced as RT method suggests due to lack of high-level dialogue.

7. Conclusion • In order for Reciprocal Teaching to be effective teachers must modify it to fit the needs of their classroom.

8. Reflections • Rocio: I would want to know if RT would be as effective in a more ethnically diverse school or in high school. • Jason: I feel that this study had a few key flaws that could have been remedied considering its 3-year period. • Laura: I feel that the findings were very informative and functional for teachers.

9. Questions ?