Chapter 14 page 329
LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS THAT INTEGRATE FEATURES OF EFFECTIVE
STRATEGY INSTRUCTION
In the first part of the chapter, we examined eight features of instruction that help students learn
strategies that can make them effective self-regulated learners and thinkers. We focused on each feature of
instruction, one at a time, without showing how they can fit together in an integrated learning environment
to help students learn strategies. In the second part of the chapter, we examine in detail two learning
environments that integrate several or all of the eight features of effective strategy instruction: (1)
Reciprocal Teaching (focusing on comprehension strategies) and (2) Self-Regulated Strategy Development
(focusing on writing strategies). We will examine these methods so that we can gain an understanding of
how teachers can develop extended instruction to promote strategy development.
Reciprocal Teaching
Reciprocal Teaching (Annemarie Sullivan Palincsar, 2003; Annemarie Sullivan Palincsar & Brown,
1984; Annemarie Sullivan Palincsar et al., 2007) is a learning environment designed to promote reading
comprehension strategies. Reciprocal teaching is typically implemented in small groups. The small groups
may include the teacher, or students may work without a teacher (De Corte, Verschaffel, & Van De Ven,
2001; Rosenshine & Meister, 1994). In groups, students silently read one paragraph at a time. Students
lead the discussion, even when their real teacher is with them in the group. After each paragraph, one
student acts as the leader (called the “teacher”) and leads the group in the following activities:
Activity 1. Ask a question about the paragraph. The question should encourage students to think about
the ideas they have just read. Answers may require students to elaborate on what they have read or
to explain something in the text.
Activity 2. Seek clarification about something that is not fully understood. This encourages students to
monitor their understanding, to identify what they do not understand, and to ask questions to help
them understand better.
Activity 3. Make a prediction about what will come next.
Activity 4. Summarize the paragraph.
The activities can be done in any order. Through these four activities, the students are prompted to use
beneficial reading comprehension strategies. The activities prompt students to practice using the strategies
including elaboration, explanation, monitoring, prediction, and summarization. As students gain experience
using these strategies, they improve their reading comprehension (Annemarie Sullivan Palincsar & Brown,
1984; Rosenshine & Meister, 1994; van den Bos et al., 2007).
Here is an example of Reciprocal Teaching in action (adapted and expanded from Annemarie
Sullivan Palincsar, 1986). The teacher is working with a group of middle-school students who are below-
average readers. The students read the text below. Then they begin their discussion.
Text: The second-oldest form of salt production is mining. Unlike early methods that made the work
extremely dangerous and difficult, today’s methods use special machinery, and salt mining is easier and
safer. The old expression “back to the salt mines” no longer applies.
Transcript Analysis
Leann: (Student as teacher): Name two words that
often describe mining salt in the old days.
Kevin: Back to the salt mines?
Leann: No. Angela?
Angela: Dangerous and difficult.
Leann: Correct. This paragraph is all about
“comparing the old mining of salt and today’s
mining of salt.”
Teacher: Beautiful!
Leann: Does anyone have a clarification question?
As the teacher leader, Leann asks a question.
(This one is a text literal question rather than
a question that requires elaboration or
inference.) This is activity #1.Leanne now summarizes; this is activity #4.Leanne asks if there are clarification