Funny thing, synchronicity. First guineapigmum writes about how much the choice (and maybe quality) of literature set texts has changed since her day. And then someone casually threw the phrase ‘reciprocal reading’ into conversation in such a way that had me scurrying off to Google. So I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about the how and what of kids - and in particular my kids - interacting with books.
I don’t remember being taught to read, but I can remember getting stuck on words - like ‘knife’ - which much have been pretty early on in the process. Then I can remember books of exercises: “Off We Go” was one I dreaded. Crikey, that was boring. Lists of sentences that you had to write out, changing singular to plural, present to past tense and so on. Couldn’t just write out the relevant words, oh no. You had to copy out that whole tedious, dull, pedestrian thing.
“Signposts to English” was rather more fun. I think there were five in the series? BIG slim books with plain covers. (I’m delighted to see, after a bit of Googling, that the author of “Signposts” enjoyed the spendidly Scottish name of Lachlan D. Buchanan…) Each double page spread had a piece of text, some comprehension questions and some grammar and syntax exercises. It was through these chunks of text that I first met authors such as Jerome K. Jerome.
Anyway, the point being that nobody consciously taught kids of my era to ‘read’ in the sense of following, analysing and exploring a story. Fathersoup, who went through a different education authority, had much the same experience. Somewhere along the line I picked up the tools required, and eventually carried it on (with pleasingly good grades - still feeling smug, there!) somewhat further even than guineapigmum.
Now, so far as I understand it from what I picked up today and from my brief Googling, reciprocal reading (or was it reciprocal teaching? both phrases seem to be used) is a strategy to support children in getting more out of what they read. And given that my Googling brought up two edubuzz sites within the first page, I’m guessing that East Lothian may be in a minority in using it? It wasn’t the sort of conversation where I could find out more. Any pointers? One of the blogs I found seemed very promising from an info point of view (plus it’s often enlightening to have a chance to see the mechanics of the system from the other side. Alas, though, that blog doesn’t get updated much…) There was a posting explaining more about the terminology of reciprocal reading although the one thing it didn’t address was the name itself: reciprocal - that’s a tough word, even for most adults. I was able to buttonhole a ‘reciprocal reading’ pupil today and ask them what ‘reciprocal’ meant: Blank. Not a Clue. I hope it was just that they had been daydreaming for that bit of the pep talk. Here’s a system for supporting understanding and it’s saddled with a name that isn’t being understood!
Maybe my own level of coherency is slumping even further than usual. I don’t want to even begin to comment upon reciprocal reading in East Lothian - I simply don’t have the information or experience to begin. I just hope that none of the spontaneity, enjoyment and inutitive learning is ever going to be lost in more blessed jargon.
I’m pleased that edubuzz sites helped with this. It’s a good guess that East Lothian might be in a minority using reciprocal reading, but it could be completely wide of the mark.
That you should trawl up mentions of reciprocal reading on edubuzz sites is probably more due to high levels of web publishing in East Lothian - I make it five mentions - than low usage of reciprocal reading elsewhere.
I completely agree with your point. At a time where we’re trying to make it easier for parents to get involved, education jargon is a barrier. LTS - oops, sorry, Learning and Teaching Scotland - do have some good glossaries on their site, but I couldn’t find a one-stop shop, and I couldn’t find this term.
I really enjoyed this post. I was having weird flashbacks about Dick and Dora and a thing I’d completely forgotten called the SRA Reading Lab. Looks like SRA outlived poor old D&D. Maybe they just didn’t sound scientific enough to survive Wilson’s white heat?
Back to definitions… the best I could do was this - on “reciprocal teaching” - on the LTS site.
That was a nice clear summary, but overshadowed the wave of nostalgia you’ve set off in me - SRA! Enormous great boxes and *thousands* of coloured-edge cards! Why didn’t I remember those ones? And shiny-papered workbooks for you to note down all your multiple choice answers. Weren’t the colour (sorry, probably ‘color’ as it was *very* American) pretty strange? I remember Tan, Gold, Lime…
Much the same layout with text and exercises, but lots of bafflingly American cultural references and some very dull exercises on parts of speech based on the sentence ‘Pigs Eat Corn’. Funny what you can dredge up.
Some teachers loved them, some teachers really hated them - but the worse crime in the school was to knock the box of cards off onto the floor - picking them up and re-sorting them could take a whole class the rest of the day! Even Don might consider exclusion when faced with that!
Are they still used at all in the UK, I wonder?
Am I very old (quite probably), very badly educated (possibly) or just suffering from severe memory loss (most likely). I don’t remember any of this. I don’t even remember learning to read; I just remember being able to read and learning 40 spellings for Monday mornings. I did do my early schooling abroad but I’m sure it was a very British education. Janet and John may have featured so perhpas I’m just in my dotage. Flash cards, shiny workbooks and multiple choice? Far too modern for me, I fear.
Slate and chalk then, gpm?
As for your the quality of your memory - it depends on when you are talking about. Can you date it, even roughly? If you were 15 when you were learning your 40 spellings then yes - your memory is appalling! If you think you were 5, then not too bad… (I know the ‘reading the word “knife”‘ memory comes from a school I left at 5ish.)
But I can remember boasting, before I started school, about being able to read - that was courtesy of the Ladybird ‘Peter and Jane’ series. So - got any pre-school book memories?
I’ve only ever heard you make brief mentions about your exotic upbringing - it would be fascinating to hear more one day…
Stone tablets and chisels I fear.