Goodbye Round Robin Summary

Adyson Conley
Content Literacy
Goodbye Round Robin
1. Share in your own words the authors explanation of reading. Why is it necessary to
understand this?
The author suggests several meanings behind the concept of reading. Reading consists
of three (3) parts: language, cognitive processes and social activity. Each of these models
together completes the complex and multidimensional process of reading. The ultimate goal
of reading is to achieve comprehension of the material to which you are reading. Readers
bring their own meanings and experiences into the process of reading to help create a more
clear understanding. As an educator, it is essential for the teacher to clearly understand what
reading is and how to positively promote it in the classroom. Presenting yourself as a model
reader can demonstrate to students what an expert reader looks and sounds like.
2. What is round robin and why is it used in many classrooms?
Round robin reading, as defined in The Literacy Dictionary, is the outmoded practice of
calling on students to read orally one after the other (p.10). Round robin is commonly used
in the classroom because it is a strategy that has been around for such a long timeteachers
are familiar with the strategy. Another reason as to why teachers use round robin in their
classroom is because they believe it helps students practice speaking aloud, sharing content,
building fluency and achieving comprehension. In actuality, round robin does not promote
any of these actions, instead it only measures students impromptu oral reading skills. To
effectively promote reading into the classroom, teachers should steer away from round robin
and instead use other varieties of oral reading strategies, such as: read alouds, paired
readings, mentor readings, choral readings and think alouds. Variety is key. Providing
students with a range of experiences can help to build confidence and an appreciation
towards reading.
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3. Is oral reading important? Share the reasons discussed in the text.

Oral reading is most definitely an important skill students should practice. Oral reading
is a form of communication; it helps one to share information with another individual (p. 3).
As for an educators view on oral reading, it helps to determine whether a student is using
language cues effectively. If the student is using the wrong cueing system, the teacher can
approach the child with strategies to improve their reading skills. In addition to assessing
students language systems, there are 12 other factors as to why oral reading is essential. Oral
reading benefits the student by: building confidence, further developing comprehension,
learning how to properly share/ perform information, determining strategies to use when
reading, promoting language and assisting students in developing other numerous skills. It is
evident that oral reading can greatly benefit a reader. Implementing oral reading into daily
lessons can help build a strong and comprehensive reader.
4. What are some of the problems associated with round robin reading?
There are various problems associated with round robin reading. A major flaw is the fact
that it creates a source of anxiety and embarrassment for students. Some students struggle
with reading and are slower in pace. Putting students on the spot only causes humiliation for
them. Another problem with round robin is that it consumes valuable classroom time that
could be spent on other meaningful activities. During round robin reading, students have to
be constantly reminded to stay on track and stay focused throughout the reading. As
teachers, we only have so much time in a day to teach students valuable information. Other
problems include: unnecessary sub-vocalization, inaccurate views towards reading,
decreasing listening comprehension, inattentive behaviors (discipline problems), faulty
reading habits and not allowing students to develop their full potential.
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5. How can oral reading be used when working with struggling readers? Describe two of
the strategies shared and how you might use these in the classroom.
Struggling readers often lack fluency and word recognition therefore impeding their
reading development. Often these students view reading as simply getting the words correct,
not actually comprehending the words to create a complete understanding. Oral reading can
benefit struggling readers for two main reasons: it provides students an avenue for
monitoring their own reading and provides the teacher a way of assessing and supporting the
students reading (p.67). Two oral reading strategies that support struggling readers are read
alouds and paired readings. Read alouds are a model for students to experience what an
expert reader sounds like. It is vital to emphasize good reading (volume, pitch, phrasing and
rate), all of which read alouds can exhibit. Paired reading is a strategy where the teacher
matches a proficient reader with a struggling reader. Together the two students read a selfselected text. I plan to use both of these strategies in my future classroom. Read alouds can
be used for content texts throughout the day, while paired reading can be used at the end of
the day to allow the students to read a text of their choice (a buddy reading system).
6. Why is oral reading important for comprehension? Describe two strategies you might
use to develop comprehension.
Comprehension during reading requires a variety of strategies to be practiced by the
readers themselves. Such strategies include determining which information is most
important, self-questioning, summarizing, inferring, predicting, interpreting and imagining.
Each of these strategies needs to be taught and practiced thoroughly for the student to be able
to correctly use the strategy. Oral reading is ideal for teaching the comprehension strategies
because the student can listen and learn how to effectively use strategies (through teacher/
peer modeling), then implement the strategies into their readings. Students need to recognize
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both the surface level and deep level to achieve meaning from a text. Two specific strategies
that can be implemented to help develop comprehension include the think aloud and look
for the signals. Think alouds help to show the reader how background knowledge can help
to understand a textbringing meaning to the page to get meaning from it (p. 13). Look
for the signals can be used to show the reader that different markings on a page effect how
you read the textwhere to pause, stop and emphasize. Oral reading, when used effectively,
can improve students reading skills. Strategies should be constantly practiced to boost both
confidence and comprehension.
7. What are the key words to remember when using oral reading for sharing and
performance? Describe two of the strategies shared and how you might use these in the
classroom.
Preparation and audience are two key words to remember when using oral reading
strategies for sharing and performance. These key words are necessary for sharing and
communicating information to others (p. 43). There are strategies to support preparation and
audience, such as: Radio reading and shared book experience. Radio reading requires
students to perform preselected portions of a rehearsed text. One student reads as if they are
a radio announcer, while the other students listen as if they are listening to a radio broadcast.
When the reading is complete, the announcer holds a brief discussion. Another suggested
strategy is shared book experience. For this strategy, the teacher reads a book (large enough
for students to see) and asks students to join in on the reading when they feel comfortable.
This is a great way to include all students in a safe environment where they will not be
criticized. I plan on using both the radio reading and shared book experience strategies to
improve my students oral reading skills. The shared book experience can be done through a
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big book learning station, while the radio reading can be used with content texts or short
passages.
Summary:
Round robin is an ineffective and outdated approach to reading. With this being said, oral
reading should not be taken out of the classroom, but instead positively promoted by using
effective strategies. Oral reading helps to build a confident and comprehensive reader. After
reading Goodbye Round Robin, I have gained a negative perspective towards round robin reading
and will most definitely not use this approach within my future classroom. Instead, I have
developed a clear understanding of how to implement various oral reading strategies.

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Adyson Conley

3. Is oral reading important? Share the reasons discussed in the text.

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