Cooperative learning is a reading comprehension strategy where students work in small groups. It pairs stronger readers with those needing more help. Students take on roles like summarizer and questioner to guide discussions about texts. Research shows cooperative learning improves comprehension and critical thinking. Specifically, reciprocal teaching assigns roles to structure conversations around predicting, clarifying, questioning, and summarizing sections of a text. Studies find this approach helps all students better understand what they read.

1. Cooperative Learning
A Reading Comprehension Strategy
By: Selena Buskirk

2. What is Cooperative
Learning?
Cooperative Learning is a strategy for
reading comprehension. This strategy has the
teacher break down the class into small
groups of 4 to 5 students with different
reading levels and perspectives. Students will
work on a well-structured, clearly defined
learning activity. This strategy is student-
directed and the teacher is there as a guide.

3. Benefits of
Cooperative Learning
• Pairs lower reading levels with more
advanced readers
• Peer modeling
• Student directed
• Builds confidence and independence
• Cooperation between students: empathy,
understanding, feeling valued, and
acceptance.
• Allows students to feel comfortable talking
in a small group setting instead of in front
of the class.
• Builds communication skills
• Encourages own thought process
• Allows for questions and discussion
between students.

4. How does Cooperative
Learning Work?
In the next slides, I am going to focus on Reciprocal Teaching which is a form of cooperative
learning. There are different ways to present cooperative learning within a classroom. As an
educator, it is up to you to decide how you want to present cooperative learning within your
classroom.

5. Reciprocal Teaching
• Before Reciprocal Teaching can be successful, students must have been taught and practiced the four strategies of
reciprocal teaching (summarizing, questioning, predicting, and clarifying).
• Pass out the assigned test selection.
• Break students into groups of 4 or 5 depending on the number of students in class. Groups will be comprised of students
will different reading levels and perspectives.
• Explain to the students that each member of their group is responsible for their unique role in the group.
• Hand out to each group member their role (summarizer, questioner, clarifier, and predictor).
• Have students read a few paragraphs of the assigned text selection. Encourage students to use note-taking strategies
(underlining, sticky notes, and typing/dictating on iPad).
• Next, the group’s Summarizer will highlight the key ideas up to this point in the reading.
• The Questioner will then pose questions about the selection:
- any parts of the text that is confusing or unclear
- information that is puzzling or unclear
- connections to other concepts learned or in the world

6. Continued Reciprocal Teaching
• Clarifier will address confusing parts and attempt to answer the questions that were just posed. If the clarifier is struggling
other members of the group can assist.
• Predictor will offer predictions about what the author will tell the group next in the literary selection. The Predictor can
also predict what will happen next in the story.
• The roles in the group will then switch to the right, and the next selection is read. This process will keep going until the
entire selection is read. This process could take up to a month to finish depending on the reading selection and how long it
takes the students to discuss each text selection.
• Throughout this process, the teacher’s role is to guide and encourage the students during their small group instruction.
Reference:
Reading Rockets, Reciprocal Teaching. https://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/reciprocal_teaching

7. Resources for
Cooperative Learning
• Reading Rockets.
https://www.readingrockets.org/article/reciprocal
-teaching-primary-grades-we-can-do-it-too
https://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/recipro
cal_teaching
• George Lucas Educational Foundation Edutopia
https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-
cooperative-learning-can-benefit-students-year
• Cooperative Learning. http://www.co-
operation.org/what-is-cooperative-learning
• Europass Teachers Academy
https://www.teacheracademy.eu/blog/cooperative
-learning-strategies/
• What is Reciprocal Teaching:
https://www.teachthought.com/literacy/reciprocal
-teaching/

8. Resources for
Cooperative Learning
• Cooperative Learning and Reciprocal Teaching Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnkKHL_dyGE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR6rTKPkjgQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTI1zHhYS00
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wKA3dWc7J4

9. Evidence of effectiveness for
Cooperative Learning.
• In the article Research Supports Collaborative Learning (George Lucas Educational Foundation, Edutopia), more than 40
studies of elementary, middle, and high school English classroom saw improvement in comprehension of the text and
critical-thinking skills for students across ethnic backgrounds and socioeconomic contexts when using a discussion-based
practices(cooperative learning) (Murphy, Wilkinson, Soter, Hennessey, & Alexander, 2009; Applebee, Langer, Nystrand,
Gamoran, 2003).
• This study investigated the effect of using reciprocal teaching intervention strategy on improving reading comprehension of
reading disabled students in primary five . A total of 66 students identified with RD participated. The sample was divided
into two groups; experimental ( n= 33 boys )and control ( n= 33 boys). ANCOVA and T .test were employed for data
analysis. Findings from this study indicated the effectiveness of reciprocal teaching intervention strategy on improving
reading comprehension in the target students. On the basis of the findings, the study advocated for the effectiveness of
reciprocal teaching intervention strategy on improving reading comprehension in reading disabled students (International
Journal of Psycho-Educational Sciences, Volume (4), Issue(2), September–2015 The Effect of Reciprocal Teaching
Intervention Strategy on Reading Comprehension Skills of 5Th Grade Elementary School Students with Reading
Disabilities).

10. References
• Applebee, A.N., Langer, J.A., Nystrand, M., & Gamoran, A. (2003). Discussion-Based Approaches to Developing
Understanding: Classroom Instruction and Student Performance in Middle and High School English . American
Educational Research Journal, 40(3), 685-730.
• Johnson, David W. & Johnson, Roger T., An Overview of Cooperative Learning. Cooperative Learning.
http://www.co-operation.org/what-is-cooperative-learning
• Heick, Terry. (2022) What is Reciprocal Teaching? Tech Thought University We Grown Teachers
• Mostafa Kamel Gomaa, Omema. The Effect of Reciprocal Teaching Intervention Strategy on Reading Comprehension Skills
of 5Th Grade Elementary School Students with Reading Disabilities. International Journal of Psycho-Educational Sciences,
Volume (4), Issue(2), September–2015.
• Murphy, P. K., Wilkinson, I. A. G., Soter, A.O., Hennessey, M. N., & Alexander, J. F. (2009). Examining the Effects of
Classroom Discussion on Students' High-Level Comprehension of Text: A Meta-Analysis . Journal of Educational
Psychology, 101(3), 740-764.
• Language & Reading Disabilities 3rd Edition (2012). Pearson Education Inc.
• Reading Rockets, (2022). Reciprocal Teaching, WETA Public Broadcasting.
https://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/reciprocal_teaching, https://www.readingrockets.org/article/reciprocal-teaching-
primary-grades-we-can-do-it-too, https://www.readingrockets.org/strategies/reciprocal_teaching

11. References
• Rigacci, Ada. (Sept. 1, 2020). What is Cooperative Learning? Five Strategies for Your Classroom. Europass Teachers
Academy SRL 2020-2022. https://www.teacheracademy.eu/blog/cooperative-learning-strategies/
• Vega, Vanessa & Terada, Youki, (Dec. 5, 2012). Research Supports Collaborative Learning, George Lucas Educational
Foundation Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/stw-collaborative-learning-research
• Willis, Judy. (2022). How Cooperative Learning Can Benefit Students This Year. George Lucas Educational Foundation
Edutopia. https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-cooperative-learning-can-benefit-students-year
• Cooperative Learning and Reciprocal Teaching Videos:
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cnkKHL_dyGE
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zR6rTKPkjgQ
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTI1zHhYS00
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wKA3dWc7J4