Reading in pairs

Reading in pairs is based on the programme Llegim en parella. It has been implemented since 2006 in different languages: in Catalan Llegim en parella, Spanish Leemos en pareja and Basque Bikoteka Irakurtzen.

It’s a peer tutoring programme with family involvement to improve reading comprehension and speaking in English as a L2. It provides a set of materials that facilitates the implementation of the programme, not the application.

-Peer tutoring as a cooperative learning method.

-Strategy for inclusive education.

-Reading competence (reading comprehension and speaking) as a key competence.

-Family involvement to improve students’ results and the quality of the schools.

-Cooperative work among teachers and schools.

-To improve reading comprehension and speaking.

-To increase the cooperation among the students.

-To provide inclusive methodologies to the teachers and schools.

-To encourage teachers’ network.

-To promote the family involvement.

Activity sheet and audio file

Letters: What is your favourite city and why?

Activity sheet and audio file

Reading in pairs begins with an Initial training addressed to students and families in order to know the conceptual bases and development of the programme.

Secondly, the teachers in charge organise the pairs of students according to an initial evaluation of reading competence.

During the following 15-20 sessions (about half an hour, once a week) students work in interactive structure through an activity sheet every session. This activity sheet consists of a text and several before reading questions and reading comprehension questions. Along with this activity sheet students count on a language support and a sound file of the text in order to help them in their speaking.

At the end of Reading in pairs, tutors create one or two Activity sheets to be done for their tutees.

The assessment is done through:

-Initial and final evaluation about reading competence.

-Pair self-assessment every four sessions.

-Systematic observation of teachers during the sessions.

-Portfolio assessment.

-Questionnaire to assess the programme.

For more information, you can get in touch with Marta Flores via email (marta.flores@uab.cat)

CLICK HERE

Oller, M. (2017). Reading in pairs programme: How students can improve EFL by working cooperatively. APAC Journal, 84, 7-17.

Blanch, S., Corcelles, M., Duran, D., Dekhinet, R., & Topping, K. (2014). La escritura y corrección de textos en una tutoría entre iguales, recíproca y virtual, para la mejora en inglés y español. Revista de Educación, 363, 309-333.

Topping, K. J., Dehkinet, R., Blanch, S., Corcelles, M., & Duran, D. (2013). Paradoxical effects of feedback in international online reciprocal peer tutoring. Computers & Education, 61, 225-231.

Duran, D., Blanch. S., Thurston. A., & Topping, K. (2010). Tutoría entre iguales recíproca y virtual para la mejora de habilidades lingüísticas en español e inglés. Infancia y Aprendizaje, 33(2), 209-222.

Thurston. A., Duran, D., Cunningham, E., Blanch, S., & Topping, K. (2009). International on-line reciprocal peer tutoring to promote modern language development in primary schools. Computers & Education, 53, 462-472. 

Duran, D., & Monereo, C. (2008). The impact of peer tutoring on the improvement of linguistic competence, self-concept as a writer and pedagogical satisfaction. School Psychology International, 29(4), 481-499.