Describe ways in which you encourage reciprocal discussions in your classrooms. Be specific as to the practices that are promoting reciprocity
Reciprocal teaching implies the conversation and discussion between the students and the teacher about the recently read texts and other matters (Padma, 2008). In this case, it has a beneficial influence on the development of attention, as the students tend to stay focused on the class materials. In this instance, I often utilize summarization, as it helps the students to understand the meaning of the text while depicting the primary points (the Padma, 2008). Additionally, I tend to ask questions about the details and matters, which were actively portrayed in the text.
What about centers? Discuss any centers that you may have that promote early language acquisition?
The early language acquisition is critical to be encouraged to expand the children’s learning of the vocabulary for sufficient interactions in society (Kuhl, 2004). Meanwhile, social collaboration is one of the critical attributes to enhance sufficient language acquisition and development of the speech (Kuhl, 2004). As for the centers, one of the examples to improve the achievement of the learning outcomes is organizing a listening center, where the children will be able to listen to the audiobooks. Meanwhile, it is apparent that the discussion centers have to be introduced, as it will contribute to the understanding of the read texts and acquired vocabulary.
What are the grouping practices that you enact in your respective classrooms?
Grouping and group work are often used to improve the learning outcomes and delivery of knowledge. In this case, the formation of the groups in the classrooms has to be driven by logical and ethical principles and aim at the encouragement of the improvement of language skills (McCarty, Watahomigie, & Dien, 2004). In this case, flexible small groups will be the most effective approach to be used in the classroom and will encourage practicing skills while applying an individual strategy to each team member (Pennsylvania Department of Education, 2012).
Comprehension Strategies
It remains apparent that students have a tendency to use different strategies to understand the principles ideas of the literature. For instance, the students tend to refer to the previous readings and experiences to retrieve past memories, make assumptions, determine the connections between the text and themselves and pose the questions while clarifying the particular aspects (McNamara, 2012). Furthermore, they have a tendency to highlight the importance while differentiating key ideas for the minor ones and visualizing the scenes from the literature (McNamara, 2012). It is clear that other various tactics tend to exist, but these ones are emphasized in the context of this section.
I tend to apply some of these strategies in the classroom, as they have an advantageous impact on the learning outcomes. For instance, I have a tendency to encourage summarization and ask questions about the texts. In this case, the questions tend to cover the projections of the ideas of the text in the real world, determine the correlations with the experiences and ask to visualize particular components. Meanwhile, the matters related to the determination of importance and prediction are not employed in my classrooms today, but they can be encouraged and implemented with the assistance of asking questions related to these aspects and inspiring discussions.
Motivation
Inspiring and motivating students are the essential attributes to reach the desired learning outcomes. In this case, the teacher has to use these aspects to encourage the concept of self-motivation among students, as it will help maintain the interest of the children in the class (Ferlazzo, 2013; Evertson & Weinstein, 2013). One of the approaches is admiring effort while building trusting relationships and employing the cooperative learning in the classroom (Ferlazzo, 2013). A simultaneous usage of these concepts will have a beneficial impact on the motivation to participate in the classes actively.
References
Evertson, C., & Weinstein, C. (2013). Handbook of classroom management: Research, practice, and contemporary issues. New York, NY: Routledge.
Ferlazzo, L. (2013). Helping students motivate themselves: Practical answers to classroom challenges. New York, NY: Routledge.
Kuhl, P. (2004). Early language acquisition: Cracking the speech code. Nature Reviews: Neuroscience, 5, 831-843.
McNamara, D. (2012). Reading comprehension strategies: Theories, interventions, and technologies. New York: Taylor & Francis Group.
Padma, B. (2008). Reciprocal teaching techniques. New Delhi, India: APH Publishing Corporation.
Pennsylvania Department of Education. (2012). Teachers’ desk reference: Practical information for Pennsylvania’s teachers. Web.