I am interested in learning if any teacher of students with learning disabilities has used the method of teaching called “reciprocal teaching?” I have the training and am not sure it would be the most effective method to use with my students. They are taught to predict, which my students do not want to waste time with. They want to start reading. Supposedly this method increases reading comprehension. If you have used this, please give me your input. Thank you. I teach at a middle school.
Reciprocal teaching is good for kids w/reading comprehension problems. The majority of kids suffer from decoding problems as a primary need. They cannot recognize the word in print and therefore cannot understand it either.
At my school, we use a computerized reading inventory like Scholastic SRI (just testing it now) or the Star to get a ballpark feel for who is reading how far below grade level. Those reading more than 1 year below GL (elementary—more 7-12 in graduating degrees) are administered an individual classroom reading inventory: Burns & Roe, Silveroli, Flynt-Cooter, or Johns. These consist of word reading at sight, in isolation and also passages at sight. There are comprehension questions that follow the passages that deal with factual knowledge, drawing conclusions, and vocabulary. There is also a reading rate component on some (can be easily added on the remainder).
Then, we set about to group kids in ways that they can best benefit from instruction: that is to be with kids who need similar instruction or intervention. BTW, the comprhension only groups are way smaller than the decoding groups. However, comprehension is a piece of all groups whether it is vocabulary knowledge or other things.
Your reciprocal teaching might be one component of the comprehension instruction; however, it is quite some distance away from a comprehensive reading intervention program.
If you already knew all this, “never mind.”