In this article, the authors explore the concept of instructional scaffolding as it applies to facilitating students' reading comprehension. They argue that scaffolding is a highly flexible and adaptable model of instruction that supports students as they acquire both basic skills and higher order thinking processes, allows for explicit…

The following article discusses cognitive and metacognitive reading strategies and the use of them particularly among bilingual students. It distinguishes between the two types of strategies. Strategy use among monolingual and bilingual students are described and compared. The article focuses on the need for strategy instruction, particularly…

Describes how a sixth-grade teacher modified the reciprocal teaching strategy to use with a group of struggling readers. Describes implementing the strategy, reviews data on effectiveness with her students, and recommends modifications for students engaged in silent reading. (SR)

This article describes a reading intervention for students with learning disabilities, the Systematic Teaching and Recording Tactic (S.T.A.R.T.), to be used in conjunction with curriculum-based measurement. Ongoing assessment, teaching to a criterion, re-reading, and reciprocal teaching are major components of the intervention. (Contains six…

Adolescents who are experiencing difficulties in reading are found to have problems in word recognition, read at a slow pace, and comprehend slowly (Ivey, 1999). As these students move on in grade level, they are inadequately equipped with the reading comprehension skills needed in order to deal with higher level text. Struggling readers lack…

This paper reports on a series of three studies designed to assess the effectiveness of a metacognitive approach to teaching word identification and reading comprehension skills to upper primary poor readers, and to investigate effective methods for implementing the metacognitive program in the regular classroom. To improve word identification…

The reading comprehension performance of 30 third-graders with hearing impairments from the United Arab Emirates was examined under three teaching conditions, the key word strategy, modified reciprocal teaching, and the basic reading approach. Key word strategy and modified reciprocal teaching significantly enhanced performance in reading…

Discussion of the importance of cognitive strategy instruction is followed by consideration of reciprocal teaching as an optimal method for teaching both reading and writing to middle and high school students with reading/writing difficulties. Reciprocal teaching emphasizes teaching learners how to ask questions, clarify issues, summarize text,…

Two teaching methods were used to enhance the use of cognitive reading strategies among 89 Hispanic bilingual students in grades 3 through 5. Although there were differences in the use of cognitive reading strategies by grade and treatment group, instruction in cognitive strategy use decreased the use of weak reading strategies and was more…

This case study addressed the meanings two preservice teachers ascribed to four expert strategies used in reciprocal teaching (questioning, summarizing, clarifying, and predicting) and four learning principles upon which reciprocal teaching is built (cognitive apprenticeship, scaffolding, zone of proximal development, and proleptic teaching).…

Since the introduction of the concept of reciprocal teaching by A. S. Palincsar and A. L. Brown in 1984, researchers have conducted a number of studies that attempted to replicate and/or extend the original one. A review was conducted of 19 studies that used reciprocal teaching to help students improve their ability to comprehend text. The review…

This book is intended to provide the content and structure for a group study of reading and instructional practices that advance reading achievement. The book includes concise summaries of research that reflect sound practices in reading instruction and the most current understanding of the process of reading. It pulls together much of what has…

Research-based reading interventions (peer tutoring, reciprocal teaching, effective teaching principles, computer-aided instruction, and two direct instruction models) were implemented by 37 special-education resource teachers working with 176 elementary school students with mild disabilities. The computer-assisted, reciprocal, and direct…

This article discusses a reading instruction applicable to widely diverse classrooms, because it weaves together dynamic strands from three approaches to teaching reading: literature circle method, reciprocal teaching, and modern literary theories. The author presents three stages to achieve reading success: (1) applying the key features of…

A growing research base on adolescent literacy supports an emphasis on direct instruction in the reading and writing skills needed to perform these more complex literacy tasks. However, many middle and high school teachers have little or no preparation for teaching these skills within their content-area disciplines and have few resources upon…