Internet Reciprocal Teaching

In chapter 2, a teaching strategy called reciprocal teaching and internet reciprocal teaching was introduced. I loved the idea of this because I think this approach could be very helpful and beneficial in the classroom. The idea of internet reciprocal teaching is for the teacher to introduce a concept or website, and then a student will have to teach the class about it. After the student teaches the class there is typically a project given to the class to be done independently or in small groups. I love how there was a way to turn reciprocal teaching (the same process but not involving technology and instead from a text) into a modern way to teach students about technology. Being able to tweak lessons to fit the most current concepts is very important.

I think that this strategy would work in classrooms for two main reasons. First, when a student knows they are responsible for teaching the class something, they are most likely going to make sure they learn it very well. This allows each “student teacher” to learn a concept very well. I am sure it is something they will never be able to forget after learning about it and then presenting it to their peers. The second reason is because students generally, from my experience, enjoy listening to their peers. It is a change of scenery from the teacher talking to them, and it is somebody their age that they relate to. The student may have a way of showing the information in a way that makes sense to other students their age that they can relate to. Allowing the students to teach the class makes the lesson more exciting, and fun for the class.

This approach to learning new technology is probably best for students at an older level. When I first read about it I imagined it happening in a high school classroom. But, after thinking about it I think it could work in any classroom. I am studying early childhood education, so for me it was important to think about how this could benefit myself. It made me think that even young children can become the teacher for the hour and teach their peers about something. For example, I have seen kindergarten classrooms that are able to reserve iPads for some time. A student, or a group of students could work with the teacher to explore an app and then that student can explain to the class how it works. This could also be done by doing things on the smart board. This teaching method is overall such an awesome way all around for students to learn about new technologies! I can’t wait to implement it in my own classroom someday!