SPED 2 Portfolio: Reciprocal Teaching Strategy

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According to Hutchinson (2017) in "Inclusion of Exceptional Learners," reciprocal reading is when students are instructed on teaching each other by taking turns leading small group discussions. In this strategy, every student has a role to play. For instance, one student will summarize, one will question, one will clarify, and one will lead the predicting. In order for this strategy to work, it must be taught explicitly, modeled, and scaffolded carefully.

Reciprocal teaching helps students dig deeper to understand a text and allows students to learn from each other. Students with exceptionalities can be included in a group and have a role to play and their group members will support them. 

I found this video from Bay States Reading Institure (2015) of second-grade students engaged in reciprocal teaching. You can see students participating actively in their role and helping group members make sense of the text. 

Reciprocal teaching can be used in many subjects besides English Language Arts and Social Studies. I have seen it used in math too! I think it's amazing watching these students take ownership of their learning and share their understanding with one another. 

References:

Hutchinson, N. L. (2017). chapter 8: universal design for learning (UDL) and differentiated instruction (DI). In Inclusion of exceptional learners in Canadian schools: a practical handbook for teachers (pp. 245–247). Pearson.

Bay states reading institute. (2015, March 4). BSRI Best Practices: Second Grade Reciprocal Teaching [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZnnxv4i4kA