Christie Blazer, Supervisor RECIPROCAL TEACHING

Reciprocal teaching is an instructional approach designed to increase students ’ reading comprehension at all grade levels and in all subject areas. Students are taught cognitive strategies that help them construct meaning from text and simultaneously monitor their reading comprehension. This Information Capsule summarizes reciprocal teaching’s basic principles, implementation steps, and four comprehension strategies. Issues to consider when implementing reciprocal teaching are discussed, including how to teach the strategies, what grade levels and types of students benefit from reciprocal teaching, and optimum group size. Research on the impact of reciprocal teaching on students ’ reading comprehension is reviewed and a brief summary of Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ use of reciprocal teaching is provided. Little progress has been made nationwide toward improving students ’ reading skills during the past decade, as evidenced by minimal improvements in reading scores on the Nation’s Report Card, th