Before Reciprocal Teaching can be used successfully by your students, they need to have been taught and had time to practice the four strategies that are used in reciprocal teaching (summarizing, questioning, predicting, clarifying). One way to get students prepared to use reciprocal teaching: (from Donna Dyer of the North West Regional Education Service Agency in North Carolina)
For more information, see the article Reciprocal Teaching for the Primary Grades: "We Can Do It, Too!". Download blank templates
It should. Information Processing Theory uses a computer model to describe human learning. Information comes in, it gets processed, and then it gets stored and retrieved. Of course this is an oversimplification of human learning, but it gives us a good overview and simile by using the computer model. (In other words, this theory takes advantage of our computer schemas to help us understand it.) Here is a simplified breakdown of the process: Step 1: Information is sensed and registered. In human terms, this means that we sense, or perceive, something in our environment and it and a decision is made as to whether or not to attend to it. Is it important? Is it stimulating? Is it perceivable? Step 2: Information is momentarily held in short-term, or working, memory. Fairly robust research indicates that we can hold approximately 7 "chunks" of information at any one time in working memory. If the information is not rehearsed or otherwise actively used, it is likely to be lost. Step 3: Information is encoded and put in long-term memory. Encoding occurs while information is in working memory, often by connecting it to existing knowledge (or schemas). Well-organized information is easier to encode because it will be "filed" in a more easily findable location. Step 4: Information is retrieved. Depending on how well it was encoded (which largely has to do with how much it was worked with in working memory), information is retrieved with the right environmental cues. Throughout: Executive functioning is at work. The executive function plays many roles, mainly that have to do with self-regulation. The executive function is responsible for maintaining attention, planning ahead, organization of thoughts, task completion, adaptation to unexpected changes or obstacles, and emotion regulation. Some of this is controlled by the individual (e.g., individuals with ADHD have more difficulty maintaining attention) and some is determined by the nature of the information and task (Is it interesting? Is it active? Is it well organized?). What can I do to ensure information is stored and retrievable?1. Work to sustain students' attention.
2. Get the working memory working.
"Memory is the residue of thought." 3. Organize information for better storage and retrieval.
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