Based on
http:www.justreadnow.comstrategiesrequest.htm, in
Reciprocal Questioning ReQuest the students take on the role of the teacher by formulating their own list of questions about a reading selection. The teacher then
answers the students questions. This exercise assists reading comprehension at two levels:
1. Students deeply analyze the reading selection to extract their teacher questions.
2. The teacher, in turn, reinforces learning by answering the questions and, if necessary, helping students to refine their work into more focused questions.
Besides that, Burns 1990: 208 states that ReQuest technique seems a promising way of improving reading comprehension because ReQuest technique
is a one to one teaching technique that encourages students to think critically and formulate questions.
In conclusion, ReQuest technique is relatively simple technique that allows the teacher and students to take turn in asking questions about the
sentences of a text. By formulating their own questions, the students can explore their mind to think critically and their reading will be more purposeful.
3. The Classroom Procedures
In this case, Burns 1990: 208 formulates the condensed procedure of ReQuest techniques as follows:
a. Both students and teacher have copies of the selection to read. b. Both silently read the first sentence. The students may ask the teacher as many
questions as he or she wishes about that sentence. The students are told to try
to ask the kinds of questions that the teacher might ask, in the way the teacher might ask them.
c. The teacher answers the questions but requires the students to rephrase those questions that she or he cannot answer because of their poor syntax or
incorrect logic. d. After the teacher has answered all the students’ questions, both read the
second sentence, and the teacher asks as many questions as she or he feels will profitably add to the students’ understanding of the content.
e. The teacher periodically requires the students to verify her or his responses. f.
After reading the second sentence, the teacher requires the students to integrate the ideas from both sentences.
Through this interaction, the teacher constantly encourages the students to imitate the teacher’s questioning behavior, reinforcing such behavior by saying
“that’s a good question” or by giving the fullest possible reply.
Walker 1988: 178 states the detailed outline of its classroom procedures as follows:
a. The teacher selects a text that is at students’ reading level and that is predictive in nature.
b. The teacher identifies appropriate point for asking questions. c. The teacher introduces the ReQuest procedure in terms students will
understand. She tells the students that they will be taking turns asking questions about the sentence and what it means. The students should ask
questions that a teacher might ask, then the teacher emphasizes that questions must be answered fully and that they sometimes require support from the text.
d. The students and the teacher read silently the first sentence. e. When the teacher closes her book, the students ask questions. The teacher
answers the questions, integrating background knowledge and textual information. She also tells how she decided on his answer.
f. The procedure continues for the next sentence. This time, the teacher asks the
questions, modeling integrating information and the predictive nature of the reading by using questions like following: “what do you think what will
happen next? Why do you think so?” g. The teacher provides feedback about the students questioning behavior during
the procedure. h. The procedure is used to develop purposes for reading and employs only the
first three paragraphs. i.
The students read the rest of the story silently to see if she answers her questions.
j. Follow up discussion and activities can be used.
In this research, the researcher uses a number of variations for applying ReQuest technique in the classroom procedures. They are:
1. Whole Class In giving and responding to the questions, sometimes it is useful for the
teacher to model to the whole class. As the model, the teacher encourages the students to read aloud with her and be an active participant in the class. It is
teacher’s opportunity to introduce new language structures, vocabularies and context of meaningful text. It provides opportunities to create interactions where
opinions, ideas and interpretations can be shared. 2. Small Group
Because of being a large class, the researcher divides the class into some small groups. Working with groups that consist of 4-6 students gives more benefit
because the students have much more interaction and are supported by the teacher to develop their questioning and thinking.
3. Work in Peer Some students will be more confident to work in a peer but, it is better
to place them with their fellow student. The interaction among peers is more powerful learning model than in group.
4. Individual Work For students who need more support in their development of
questioning and thinking to improve reading understanding, individual work is a strong model to use in order to encourage his or herself-confidence. Besides that,
individual work allows them to make ReQuest technique be a strategy to improve reading comprehension.
Because of being a technique, all the activities and exercises are used in classroom for realizing the classroom objectives, ReQuest’s classroom procedures
can be done in some manners. Because it is relatively new technique for the students, ReQuest should be introduced clearly to the students. In this case, the
teacher should be aware of the students’ need to provide the students with the
understanding of the ReQuest technique rules, build students interest to this technique, introduce related vocabulary, and develop some background for
understanding the message. In this research, in order to build students’ interest in ReQuest
technique, the teaching learning process is supported by teaching aids, for example pictures, charts, realia, and technological aids in order to make the
students reach reading comprehension efficiently.
4. Stages in Teaching Reading
