Round Robin Reading- Why Not?

When I think of answering this question, I am reminded of a student's emphatic response, "It's s-o-o-o boring!" because it certainly is for more students than not. But beyond this initial response, there are other good reasons for ridding ourselves of this outmoded practice, sometimes disguised as "popcorn reading," which calls on students to pop up and read a non-rehearsed passage when signaled to do so. Did you know, for example, that round robin reading has no research base? Did you also know that no one is certain where round robin reading originated?

It provides readers with an inaccurate view of reading. 

From the onset of instruction, perhaps the greatest learning that teachers need to help readers understand is that comprehension, rather than word calling, is what drives reading.Using purposeful oral reading strategies can help lead students to this important understanding whereas round robin reading leads them away from it. 

It can potentially cause faulty reading habits instead of effective reading strategies.

 

Readers tend to read at different rates and this variation is natural (Flurkey, 2006). Expecting students to follow along while another reads an unrehearsed passage inevitably slows those readers who read at faster rates than the person who is reading aloud. On other occasions, the oral reader reads too quickly leaving students, many ELLs in particular, little or no time to decipher the meaning of unknown words. Instead, they are forced to forge ahead rather than stop and think. In both cases, readers are disenfranchised because they are unable to process information in a manner best suited to them. All students need to learn that self-monitoring is important when reading as is paying attention to meaning, recognizing when it breaks down, and what to do about it. The ability to do so is one hallmark of proficient readers as I define them.

Instead... Try This:

• Paired or assisted reading – Pairs or small groups of students read a passage aloud to 

each other. 

• Imitative reading - The teacher reads a passage in an expressive tone and then calls on 

one or more students to repeat the passage in a similar manner. “Imitating the vocal patterns of an expert reader helps with fluency and pacing which, in turn, helps students understand the 

author’s message,” say Harmon and Wood.

• Whisper reading – Students read passages at a whisper level so they can hear the text 

they’re reading and make the print-to-speech match. This can be done individually or with a 

more proficient partner. 

• Choral reading – All students read aloud together, which can heighten interest and 

highlight the content. 

• Cloze oral reading – With students following along, the teacher reads aloud and pauses 

at strategic moments, asking students to finish the thought or the sentence. This keeps students 

focused on the text, avoids singling out individual students, and helps students recognize key 

words. 

• Alternating silent reading – The teacher periodically asks students to read a passage to 

themselves and have them retell the meaning and relate it to their own experiences or prior 

knowledge, either in small groups, in writing, or to the whole class.

Sources:

“Variations on Round Robin Reading” by Janis Harmon and Karen Wood in Middle Ground, 

October 2010 (Vol. 14, #2, p. 38-39), for purchase at http://www.nmsa.org; the authors can be 

reached at Janis.harmon@utsa.edu and kdwood@uncc.edu. 

5 Reasons Not to Use Round Robin Reading with ELLs By: Michael F. Opitz and Lindsey Moses Guccione (2009)