Rose Ferrero School
November 22-December 3, 2021
QUOTES OF THE WEEK WE SHARED WITH OUR STUDENTS
LCAP GOAL 2: PROFICIENCY FOR ALL – Why Are We Still Doing That? – Round Robin Reading (part 1)
This piece is the first in a series where we will attempt to offer positive alternatives to “problematic” teaching practices. Today we will focus on part 1 of Round Robin Reading.
Imagine being a student, and as a student you find yourself as a developing, or struggling reader sitting in a classroom, surrounded by more proficient readers. Like many days, today's agenda calls for a round robin reading of a piece of text—material that you're encountering for the very first time. To mix things up, today the teacher is using “popcorn reading,” a variation of round robin in which the teacher randomly calls on students to read. This twist is meant to keep you focused; unlike regular round robin, you can't count the paragraphs and the number of students in your row, identify which piece you'll be reading, and practice it in your mind ahead of time. You're supposed to just listen, absorb, and be ready. So, there you are, a developing reader who struggles with fluency, waiting to have the spotlight turned on you. How are you feeling? How do you think you'll do? Will you be lucky and get words that are familiar—the ones that you know how to pronounce? Will you sound confident? Will you look “stupid”?
The teacher calls your name. You're up. Your best friend sitting next to you graciously points to the passage that you're supposed to read. You begin haltingly, and soon a couple of students are jumping in to “help” you any time you stumble. The teacher strolls the rows of desks, interrupting to correct a word or two as you read. She means well and is focused on providing support and making notes to herself, but you're only thinking about one thing: judgment. “OK, thank you,” she says, and calls on the next reader.
You did it. What are you thinking about? Are you thinking about the content of the text you just read or that your successor is currently reading? And how are you feeling? Proud? Humiliated? More important, how are you feeling, right now, about the overall act of reading? Though it felt like an eternity, your reading lasted less than one minute. You read a total of 37 words during the 28 minutes your class spent on this round robin reading activity. Although the instructional intent was to build your fluency and comprehension, the argument here is that not only did this round robin reading experience do little to help you become a better reader, it may actually have hindered your literacy progress and put an additional barrier between you and the content. Round robin reading is ineffective on multiple counts, including that it can feel like a pointless slog. But its greatest indictment is that, for the most vulnerable students, it is far from being harmless.
What's Problematic About Round Robin Reading?
Round robin's specific forms vary, but it always involves the teacher calling on students to read out loud, one by one, in front of their peers. Much of why teachers use round robin boils down to their desire to have more control over the learning. If only one student is reading at a time, the teacher can focus completely on that one student. Teachers sometimes require round robin reading in order to be certain that students have actually read the text and be able to jump in and ensure comprehension of the text. But more often than not, the opposite of what is intended occurs. Fluency suffers, comprehension suffers, and students do not typically follow along with the text being read.
It is safe to say that if reading held a party, round robin would not be invited. Few teaching practices have been so maligned by experts yet embraced by teachers as much as this longtime staple of American classrooms. Yet, despite round robin's continued popularity, it is very much a pariah among literacy experts. Richard Allington, former president of the International Literacy Association and prolific literacy author, writes that the strategy fosters “interruptive behavior, and under those conditions, readers begin to read more slowly and tentatively” (Allington, 2013). “Studies suggest that much of the time devoted to round robin reading is wasted in terms of student learning,” notes Timothy Shanahan, former president of the International Literacy Association and one of the lead writers for the National Reading Panel (Shanahan, 2005). Literacy expert Michael Opitz and reading fluency expert Timothy Rasinski write that “although oral reading can be beneficial, round robin reading is not. It more often prohibits rather than facilitates the ability to read” (Opitz & Rasinski, 2008). Reading Hall of Fame inductee D. Ray Reutzel and prolific reading expert Robert Cooter Jr. (2019) offer a clear verdict: “Our advice? Never use round robin in your classroom”.
Educational authors and researchers, Persida & William Himmele asked 115 senior-level undergraduates in five different teacher education courses to complete anonymous surveys where students would describe any memories of round robin reading they recalled. Here are a few of the themes that emerged, along with some illustrative statements:
· Attempts to count ahead: "The strongest memory is in 10th grade ancient mythology, when we read The Odyssey. I remember counting people and trying to figure out what paragraph I would have to read."
· Feeling like a "bad reader": "My most vivid memory is from 7th grade English. I wasn't a great reader, so I would get hung up on words in front of everyone, and the teacher would wait a few seconds to help."
· Bullying, embarrassment, or loss of status: "One kid in my class would struggle a lot, take a while to read, and then after a while some kids in my class would grunt when he got called on—they'd be like, 'Ughhhh'—and he already wouldn't want to read."
· Emotional stress that manifests physically: "The anxiety I was feeling caused my brain to shut down. I felt worried that I wouldn't be able to pronounce any of the words. I started to sweat, higher heart rate, increased breathing."
· Anxiety-induced confusion: "I would get so stressed that I would not even comprehend any material. I was so worried about messing up. I would try to figure out what paragraph I had to read and practice it in my head."
Thus, the authors strongly believe that one of the quickest ways to make students hate the act of reading is to subject them to this barrage of negative emotions when they try to read.
In the next Bulletin, we will address the academic and emotional drawbacks of Round Robin Reading.
Teachers Attend the Virtual RTI at Work Institute
At Rose Ferrero, we understand that our teachers cannot ensure the success of every student unless they can effectively intervene when students struggle. Research and evidence in the field is conclusive—RTI is the best way to intervene. RTI (Response to Intervention) also known as a multitiered system of support (MTSS)—is a systematic process that helps ensure all students receive the time and support needed to learn at high levels.
At Rose we want to ensure our teachers receive the highest-quality, personalized RTI training for teachers that there is. Therefore, we are brought Solution Tree's RTI at Work preeminent expert, Mike Mattos to our school through a virtual, two-day workshop, where our third-grade teachers, Ms. Ashley and Ms. Dakis, along with Mrs. Prieto, one of our fourth-grade teachers, were introduced to proven teaching strategies and tools they can rely on to help improve their interventions at all tiers of the RTI pyramid, as well as ways to keep the focus on what's really important—high levels of learning for all students.
For Ms. Ashley, her biggest take-away from the two-day session was that the best “intervention” is “prevention” … meaning that solid Tier 1 Core Instruction – with teachers utilizing best instructional practices – is the key to ensuring students master their essential standards the first time around, which reduces the need for intervention. For Ms. Dakis, she was reminded of the need for teachers to have a rock-solid foundation/knowledge of the Essential Standard being taught, as well as the need for a great understanding of what mastery of that standard looks like. In addition, she was reminded how important the Learning Targets that come from the standard are, and the need to make sure the learning target is matches the task/activity you have your students engaged in. For Mrs. Prieto, her biggest take-away from the sessions was understanding the importance of making sure regular RTI sessions with all students are in the Master Schedule and take place as scheduled. These interventions (and remediations) should apply to students at all levels of learning, and be varied to best serve the students involved in the intervention (or remediation).
Three Reminders for the Final Week of November:
1). Teachers (and all staff members): Before thinking about the final week of November, make sure to relax and enjoy yourself over the Thanksgiving Break. I know all of you have worked extremely hard this first trimester, so make sure you take the time for yourself and your family during the break.
2). Teachers: Please remember to use the What, Why, & How regarding your Learning Targets … explaining to students What we are going to learn, Why we are going to learn this, and How the students will know when they have learned it.
3). Teachers: Please make sure that students do not miss recess for academic reasons (do not turn “an opportunity” into “an obligation.”)