Running Head: RECIPROCAL TEACHING 1

Reciprocal Teaching
Vanessa M. Trauger
Westminster Choir College
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Originally created as a strategy for reading and language literacy, reciprocal teaching is

an approach to learning that can inspire music classes and ensembles to draw connections

between each different area of education, and uncover a depth in their musical study that will

allow all student to take their learning beyond the school walls (Abrahams & Abrahams, 2010, p.

2). Reciprocal teaching goals of predicting, questioning, clarifying, summarizing, and connecting

can all be done through music. These five points stem from the instructional strategy of creating

a dialogue between the students and teachers, where they can raise questions and present ideas

that deepen each students understanding in various ways. Having students from different

cultures and backgrounds in this dialogue will allow reciprocal teaching to bring a variety of

sense and meaning to the classroom. This style of teaching may empower students to express

their opinions and insights freely, which can produce many ideologies among the group.

(Abrahams & Abrahams, 2010, p. 25).

Educators should encourage students to find appropriate and valuable meaning in each

lesson. The Case Studies in Music Education text from Critical Pedagogy I explains through A

Sound Decision case that Effective music teaching is more than developing lessons around a

particular piece of musical literature or a theoretical concept. Effective music teachings help

children to form values (Abrahams & Head, 2005, p. 26). Without each student finding personal

value from the information, the knowledge presented can become useless. Students are often

searching to find their own identity, as they each come from a unique background with different

strengths and weaknesses. Teachers are not fountains of knowledge, but rather serve as a guide to

creative exploration and discovery. Paulo Freire hoped that through education, students would

make meaning of their own lives and be able to see beyond the obvious meaning of content

being taught (Abrahams & John, 2015, p. 12).

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Summarizing fosters identification, questioning fosters understanding, clarifying fosters

sense, predicting fosters purpose, and connecting fosters application (Abrahams & Abrahams,

2010, p. 25). Infusing these core strategies in every rehearsal or lesson will create an open,

imaginative, and intellectual environment. It will be empowering for students be in a dialectical

process, as they each take responsibility and have a shifting role in being the voice to developing

common goals and finding growth in rehearsals. It is imperative for students to always have the

opportunity to use their unique mind and personal strengths in connecting the dots throughout

their educational experiences. Allowing the students to express and share their unique thoughts

will diminish the power of hegemony, and will guide them to discover rich values and apply

what they learn in music through other areas of their life.

Jacqueline Trauger, a fourth grade teacher of Shallow Brook Intermediate School, has

used reciprocal teaching in her guided reading lessons for the past twenty-four years. As a

fourth grade teacher, reciprocal teaching works well with students who are more independent

because it holds them accountable to monitor their reading, as well as pushes them to learn how

to work together and communicate with each other about their thinking (personal

communication, February 3, 2017). Mrs. Trauger divides responsibility among each student so

that one group of students focuses on predicting, a second group focuses on summarizing, a third

group focuses on clarifying, and a fourth group focuses on questioning in each daily lesson. The

responsibilities rotate among the students so that they become comfortable with each approach to

the reading, and prompts them to unlock their imagination and grow in their abilities of critical

thinking. This should encourage students to trust their ideas and gain confidence in their

learning.
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In Planning Instruction in Music, Abrahams and John recognize the connection and

meaning of this language literacy literature approach to how it can influence musical learning. In

music, these strategies can be useful tools in creating a communicative ensemble where students

can think for themselves independently, and collaborate as a whole. Pedagogy is the process of

teaching and learning together (Wink, 1997, p. 73). The reciprocal teaching strategy is a

representation of this pedagogical goal, as students get to be in control of the creative process of

musical making. One of the most positive impacts that can sprout from reciprocal teaching is the

element of musical imagination. Engaging in music intellect and identifying musical issues

through phrasing, articulation, dynamics and emotion can rapidly increase musical understanding

and improve performance. Student can gather a rich knowledge through discussing what each

certain piece represents, how to musically express the messages, question musical choices, and

connect their discoveries to their own lives. This method of teaching is outstanding in pushing

students to become confident independent thinkers and musicians, which will help them gain

conscientization. Strategies of reciprocal teaching provided frequent and rich opportunities for

students to solve problems, pose problems, question, and challenge (Abrahams & Abrahams,

2010, p. 28). These opportunities will develop skills that students can use throughout all areas of

their education, and create well rounded learners.

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References

Abrahams, F., & Abrahams, D. (2010). The Impact of Reciprocal Teaching on the Development

of Musical Understanding in High School Student Members of Performing Ensembles:

An Action Research. Visions of Research in Music Education, 15. Retrieved January 25,

2017, from http://www-usr.rider.edu/~vrme/

Abrahams, F., & John, R. (2015). Planning instruction in music: writing objectives, assessments,

and lesson plans to engage artistic processes. Chicago: GIA Publications.

Abrahams, F., & Head, P. (2005). Case studies in music education (2nd ed.). Chicago: GIA

Publications.

Wink, J. (1997). Critical pedagogy: notes from the real world (4th ed.). New York: Longman.