In other for Literature teachers to achieve their goal of developing good readers and writers, they must engage students and get them to interact with the texts they are exposed to before, during and after reading. There are a number of strategies such as Directed Reading/Thinking Activities – DRTA - which can be used to help the teacher achieve this goal.
The main aim of DRTA has been identified by researchers as “[developing] high level thinking while reading. The teacher directs the lesson in ways which allows students to make predictions about what they are going to read.” (Rapp 2005). The main technique employed by teachers when using this technique is questioning. Therefore, the questions used must be clear and direct.
Gillet and Temple 1994 have identified four main steps in the process.
ì Introduction
ì Predict
ì Prove or Modify Predictions
ì Reflect
Using DRTA as a “before reading strategy”
Gillet and Temple 1994 encourages teachers to create a student friendly atmosphere so that discussions can thrive. “Students need to feel free to state their ideas and share their thinking”. In this context DRTA is used to make predictions about the text. Students are going to use their prior knowledge along with a scrutiny of the title, the cover page, the blurb, the captions and the illustrations to make predictions (Rapp 2005). During this stage the predictions are “broad and speculative” and it is imperative that the teacher accepts all answers that are given. When predictions are made students can be asked to write them in their prediction logs or journals. Then teachers should use open-ended questions to direct students as they make predictions about the content or perspective of the text about. Students should be encouraged to justify their responses and activate prior knowledge
During Reading
At stage, DRTA can be used to help teachers assess their students as their read, furthermore, the process of confirming and nullifying previous predictions begins. Additionally, as students read they can make more predictions through the questions asked by the teacher as he/she pauses at strategic points to discuss.
After reading
As an after reading, students can be asked reflect on what they have read and the predictions they have made. Evidence from the text should be provided as the basis for verifying or refuting their predictions. At this stage the teacher poses higher order thinking questions to the students to deepen the thinking process. Students are also given opportunities to reflect on what was read and the predictions that were made.
Despite its many benefits, this strategy is not the easiest one to use with struggling learners and should only be used with books that the students are not familiar with.
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