THE CONCEPT OF DIRECTED READING-THINKING ACTIVITY (DRTA)
METHOD
A. Definition of Directed Reading-Thinking Activity
(DRTA)
Some experts defined Directed
Reading-Thinking Activity (DRTA)
in different sentences. According to Bradley Schmitt (2006) in his power point,
DRTA is developed
by Russell Stauffer in 1969. It is a great activity to help teach reading for
meaning.
Clark and Ganschow (1995) states that Directed Reading-Thinking Activity
(DRTA) is a reading comprehension strategy that is used in each of the three
stages of reading (pre-reading, during reading, and post-reading). It emphasizes
prediction (thinking ahead), verification (confirmation), and
reading with a purpose. DRTA helps students realize that prediction and
verification of predictions are essential parts of the reading process. Students
learn that by reading with a purpose, they can more easily focus their
predictions.
Diaz-Rico in Opitz (2009) defines DRTA as a strategy a strategy that
boosts reading comprehension by making transparent how proficient readers make
and confirm predictions while they read. Also Stauffer in Opitz (1975) reported
that DRTA is an effective method for using prior knowledge to improve reading
comprehension, schema, and thinking skills.
According Peregoy and Boyle in Opitz (2009), DRTA is facilitated by
teacher support before, during, and after reading to provide a model of active
questioning that students will eventually be able to carry out independently
without teacher scaffolding.
Furthermore Conner (2006) states DRTA
encourages students to make predictions while they are reading. After reading
segments of a text, students stop, confirm or revise previous predictions, and
make new predictions about what they will read next.
From some definitions above, it can be concluded DRTA is a reading
comprehension strategy in which facilitated by teacher and engaged students to
make predictions about content of the text while they are reading it. DRTA can
be used by individually, with
small groups, or whole
class setting. It used before reading, during reading and after
reading.
B. Purposes of the DRTA Method
Tierney, Readence and Dishner in Kscanell’s paper (2005) mentions the
purpose of the DRTA method is to develop students' ability to read critically
and reflectively and equip readers :
• to determine purposes for reading
• to extract, comprehend, and assimilate
information
• to examine reading material based upon purposes for
reading
• to suspend judgments
• to make decisions based upon information gleaned from
reading
Conner (2006) adds it
by using brief sentences that the purposes of DRTA method are teacher can obtain
the students prior knowledge of the topic or the text, encourages students to
monitor their comprehension while they are reading, allows the students to set a
purpose for reading (Students read to confirm and revise predictions they are
making).
Use DRTA with students
who have difficulty comprehending text or who need help understanding that
reading is an interactive process between the author and the reader. Good
readers automatically predict and confirm what will or will not happen in the
text and merge their knowledge and ideas with the author’s. Poor readers do not
make predictions or verifications as they read. DRTA helps readers learn to make
predictions before they read and verify those predictions as they read. Teach
DRTA in-group or one-on-one situations. After working through the strategy with
the students (guided practice), encourage them to use it independently (Clark
and Ganscow, 1995).
C. Procedures of DRTA
There are four basic procedures of DRTA method as follows (Kscanell,
2005):
1. Predicting: Open the discussion with such questions as "From the title, what do you
think this story will be about?' After a brief discussion, the students make
predictions or hypotheses, with the teacher asking questions such as “Why do you
think so?".
2. Reading: Ask the students to read silently to an assigned key stop, a place where
the story action seems to mount. Tell them to turn their books or papers over
when they have reached that point. Monitor the reading and when more than half
of the student have finished, resume instruction.
3. Proving: After reading up to the key step, the students can check their hypotheses. You may want them to read
aloud those parts of the story that support their hypotheses. This is also a
good time to recap the main events of the passage.
4. Reasoning: Now, the students should make further hypotheses about the story’s
outcome. These questions should stimulate the students’ thinking. “What makes
you think that?” “Why do you think so?” “What are some other
alternatives?”.
DRTA can be
used with an individual, a small group, or a whole class. Students read the selected text to themselves seated with others in
small groups or with partners before discussing their predictions,
confirmations, and modifications. After the discussion, the students can vote on
the most likely prediction from the group and use that to share out and discuss
with the entire class. This
activity can be easily adapted for a variety of subjects and reading levels.
D. How to use DRTA
When using a DRTA, teachers should follow the steps below:
- Determine the text to be used and pre-select points for students to pause during the reading process.
- Introduce the text, the purpose of the DRTA, and provide examples of how to make predictions. Here, be aware of the reading levels of each student, and be prepared to provide appropriate questions, prompts, and support as needed.
- Use the following outline to guide the procedure:
D = DIRECT. Teachers direct and activate students' thinking prior to reading a
passage by scanning the title, chapter headings (if it is from a book),
illustrations, and other materials. Teachers should use open-ended questions to
direct students as they make predictions about the content or perspective of the
text (e.g., "Given this title, what do you think the passage will be
about?").
R = READING. Students read up to the first pre-selected stopping point. The teacher
then prompts the students with questions about specific information and asks
them to evaluate their predictions and refine them if necessary. This process
should be continued until students have read each section of the
passage.
T = THINKING. At the end of each section, students go back through the text and think
about their predictions. Students should verify or modify their predictions by
finding supporting statements in the text. The teacher asks questions such
as:
- What do you think about your predictions now?
- What did you find in the text to prove your predictions?
o What did you read in the text
that made you change your predictions? (Stauffer, 1969).
A = ACTIVITY. It describes all
activities which are done in pre-reading, during reading and
post-reading.
E. The strengts and weaknesses of DRTA
The strengths of DRTA are not only helps develop critical reading skills
but also helps students develop reading comprehension. While its weaknesses
are it is only useful if
students have not read or heard the text being used and classroom management may
become a problem.