Reciprocal questioning begins with the instructor providing a mini-lecture and then giving a list of open-ended questions. These questions are generic prompts, which students can use to formulate specific questions based on the lecture's content. Peer reciprocal questioning promotes learning skills like summarization, clarification and prediction. Some examples include: "Explain why___", "What conclusions can be drawn about___", "How does ___ apply to your life?" This type of questioning through peer discussion helps students learn while also interacting with other students.
Reciprocal questioning can be used to help students summarize a section of text and focus their attention on specific topics. For example, break students up into small groups of about three to five, and ask them to summarize a chapter of a textbook. By asking each other questions and gathering information, students can work together to summarize key points. If a student in the group does not understand a topic in the section, he can ask questions to the group. This also can be used to help them study for exams and maximize their learning potential.
By asking students to compose questions on the content of an introduced topic, the teacher is also asking for the students to concentrate on main ideas and focus on areas that may need more clarification. This can aid in understanding and help the teacher check the current state of comprehension through the questions that are asked. For example, ask students to write down questions that they have about a chapter of a story that was just read. With this, the teacher can adjust how to move forward with the story. Through clarifying sections of the chapter with questioning, the students engage in critical evaluation as they read and learn.
Forming questions can enhance learning and peer interaction by facilitating open-ended discussions. This can help students draw conclusions and make predictions as a group. Predicting situations can help students activate different skills, like inference and background knowledge, to draw conclusions from situations and concepts. For example, have students ask each other what they would do in a certain situation. The students form open discussion and share information from their own knowledge base. By using reciprocal questioning, students can learn new concepts through peer interaction. This can help them discover that they can identify main ideas and formulate conclusions through creative sharing.