Intergrating Reciprocal Teaching into New Literacies

I believe that reciprocal teaching is one of the most powerful types of teaching strategies. Reciprocal teaching creates a dialogue between the teacher and student and incorporates four strategies: questioning, summarizing, predicting and clarifying. During the beginning stage of reciprocal teaching, the teacher models strategies that help the student complete their work. The teacher serves as a guide and reinforces the importance of strategies and explains its importance in facilitating reading. Gradually, over time the teacher loosens his or her reigns and lets the students take over the strategy without their help. This teaching method is effective because it builds a student's learning confidence and allows them to understand what they've learned on a deeper level. Some students may find reciprocal teaching enjoyable since they get to become the teachers for a change. This strategy can leave students with a feeling of autonomy. 

Internet reciprocal teaching or IRT is quite similar to standard reciprocal teaching. IRT has the same method, it starts off easy and gradually becomes harder. However, unlike reciprocal teaching, IRT incorporates different strategies. These strategies include: questioning, locating, evaluating, synthesizing and communicating. IRT consists of three phases. As the phases progress, the amount of responsibility for students increases. Phase 1 focuses on the technology tools, in this phase teachers model strategies and are in control. In phase 2, students and teachers work together to conduct demonstrations and minilessons. Depth gets added to instruction, it may move from search skills to evaluation skills. Finally in phase 3, students work either independently or in small groups and use skills and strategies that were previously learned. I believe that IRT will contribute to the growth of a student's learning independence. It is systematic and involves the use and application of schema, which is why it is effective. Lastly, IRT will allow students to communicate with others in a different and modern way.

↬ Reciprocal teaching will continue to thrive in the classroom and IRT will become more widely used. Both teaching methods will stick around for a very long time!  ↫