Teaching and Practicing Thinking Skills to Promote Comprehension in the Context of Group Problem Solving

Abstract

Reading comprehension is conceptualized as a problem-solving activity in which the reader constructs meaning for the text while simultaneously reconstructing prior conceptions. Comprehension instruction is conceptualized as teaching students the thinking skills that foster interactions with the text. A specific instructional technique, reciprocal teaching, which is conducted as a group problemsolving activity in which the students practice the use of four strategies to promote thinking while reading, is described and illustrated.