What High School Teachers say about Reciprocal Teaching - RT3T™

A BT teacher, about using RT with her Māori students

I just keep using it. It is just the best thing I can do for these kids.

before RT it was hard to get the students to read… After RT I introduced a novel study. Every student, except one, completed reading the book over the holidays and was able to confidently share ideas about the text

An Acting HoD English teacher (with a background in primary, secondary and special ed), about her class with many Kura Kaupapa learners

RT also changed the way the students approach texts. An example of this is that before RT it was hard to get the students to read and they struggled with being able to read texts for a sustained period. After RT I introduced a novel study. Every student, except one, completed reading the book over the holidays and was able to confidently share ideas about the text and communicate their understanding of the text. The reading of the novel led into the class completing a creative writing unit where they had to create their own chapter for the book. It was amazing to see how well they had connected with the style of the writer and the experiences of the characters. This would not have been an expected result before RT. RT taught the students how to examine the text deeply for understanding and has allowed them to transfer these skills into other areas of learning.

I look forward to doing more RT with you guys next year as well!

An ex-literacy advisor

…constant and ongoing inquiry learning for teachers about the intensive group process and about taking RT into the classroom as well…

…an essential learning curve for teachers, that doesn’t stop…

You can use it in any subject area

Science teacher

You can use it in any subject area.

A deputy principal

Such a success. Amazing. Intensity and continuity for the teachers is critical…

I have linked my skills learned teaching RT to teaching as inquiry as it provides a concrete programme to support increasing literacy and understanding of texts

It’s like gold

RT3T™ enabled teachers of NCEA classes to work in a completely different way with their students, with students more settled and engaged. Students who did not achieve NCEA L1 or L2 were, with one exception, persistent absentees over the year.

It touches so many bases so quickly

The BEST of the BES

build up students – at the top of the cliff, not…

at the right times in people’s lives, when you can get buy in

intensives ideally each year for every year 9 student

I attempted half-heartedly to implement RT into another class, a Year 12 class, with a student who is a selective mute. I asked this student a question, and she verbalised for the first time ever a question—this could make all the difference to her learning.